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DIVINE   GRACE 


DIVINE  GRACE 


A  SERIES  OF  INSTRUCTIONS  ARRANGED  ACCORDING 
TO  THE  BALTIMORE  CATECHISM 


An  Aid  to  Teachers  and  Preachers 


EDITED  BY 
REV.  EDMUND  J.  WIRTH,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 

Professor  at  St.  Bernard's  Seminary,  Rochester,  N.Y. 


NEW  YORK,  CINCINNATI,  CHICAGO 
BENZIGER   BROTHERS 

PRINTERS  TO  THE  HOLY  APOSTOLIC  SEE 
1903 


Nifjtl  ©bBtat. 


REMIGIUS  LAFORT, 

Censor  Lxbrorum, 


JEmprimattnr. 


New  York,  June  3,  1903. 


^  JNO.   M.   FARLEY, 
Archbishop  of  New  York, 


lOAN  STACK 


Copyright,  1903,  by  Benzigkr  Brothers. 


AT76/ 


PREFACE 

Divine  grace  is  the  foundation  of  the  su- 
pernatural life,  the  source  of  all  supernatural 
virtues,  the  outpouring  of  the  love  of  God 
upon  His  creatures;  it  constitutes  man  a 
son  of  God,  and  gives  him  a  right  to  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Of  grace  we  may  say 
what  Solomon  said  of  divine  wisdom,  "All 
good,  things  came  to  me  together  with  her,  M 
and  innumerable  riches  through  her  hands."  ^ 
We  can  never  understand  fully  the  dignity 
and  excellence  of  divine  grace.  Grace  is 
the  sum  and  substance  of  the  "  Good  News  " 
announced  by  God  to  men.  Grace  is  the 
fruit  of  the  Redemption ;  for  this  did  the  Son 
of  God  become  man,  for  this  did  He  suffer 
and  die  that  we  have  grace,  and  through  it 
Redemption  and  salvation.  Every  Christian, 
the  simple  and  the  learned,  the  young  and 

^Wisd.  7.  II. 
5 


524 


6  PREFACE 

the  old,  all  should  know  this  great  "  mystery 
of  Christ,  which  in  other  generations  was 
not  known  to  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is 
now  revealed  to  His  holy  apostles  and 
prophets  in  the  spirit;  that  the  Gentiles 
should  be  fellow-heirs,  and  of  the  same  body, 
and  copartners  of  His  promise  in  Christ 
Jesus."  ^  This  knowledge  becomes  still  more 
necessary  in  the  circumstances  in  which  we 
/live.  Protestantism  has  veered  from  an  ex- 
aggeration of  grace  to  a  complete  denial  of 
it;  the  world  in  which  weHve^is  material- 
istic and  Pelagian.  The  ideal  proposed  to 
theyoung  the  Catholic  Church 

only  too  often  the  man  who  is  successful 
in  business,  the  so-called  self-made  man. 
The  world  is  getting  further  and  further 
away  from  the  supernatural;  only  what  ap- 
peals to  the  senses  is  considered  real;  the 
words  "miracle"  and  "mystery"  are  for  many 
synonymous  with  "myth"  and  "fable."  The 
influence  of  these  surroundings  cannot  but 
produce  a  certain   amount  of  unconscious 

1  Eph.  3. 4-6. 


PREFACE 


Pelagianism,  even  in  our  own  people ;  hence 
the  necessity  of  insisting,  especially  nowa- 
days, upon  the  dignity,  gratuitousness,  and 
necessity  of  divine  grace. 

The  doctrine  of  grace  is  difficult;    grace 
is  not  a  thing  that  falls  under  the  observa- 
tion of  the  senses;  it  is  supernatural.     Forf 
this  reason  many  have  thought  that  it  can4^ 
not  be  explained  with  any  degree  of  fulness* 
to  children ;  ye^  the  greatness  of  the  gift  of\ 
God  should  not  be  made  a  reason  for  pass-j 
ing  it  over  in  silence.     If  the  natural  powers 
of  the  child  do  not  extend  so  far  as  to  grasp^ 
the  sublimity  of  the  truths  of  God,  we  must 
remember  that  in  trying  to  learn  these  truths 
that   same   grace  of    God  will  be    there  to 
assist  them  by  its  supernatural  light.      "  I 
confess  to  Thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaveni  ^ 
and    earth,   because    Thou    hast    hid    these 
things    from    the    wise    and    prudent,    and 
hast  revealed  them  to  Httle  ones."^     With 
the  aid  of  His  light,  which  He  denies  to 
the  proud  and  gives  to  the  humble,  they 

1  Matt.  II.  25. 


8  PREFACE 

will  understand  something  of  the  mercy  of 
God  and  of  His  goodness,  communicated 
to  man  through  divine  grace. 

These  instructions  on  divine  grace  are  in- 
tended as  a  help   to   the   teacher   and   the 
catechist  in  explaining  the  doctrine   of  the 
Church  on  this  most  important  subject.     My 
aim  has  been  to  give  in  simple  language  as 
full  an  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of  grace 
as  possible   under  the  circumstances.      All 
questions  not  of  faith  and  subject  to  discus- 
sion within  the  schools  have  been  avoided. 
These     instructions     furnish     explanations, 
proofs,  and  illustrations  of   the  doctrine  of 
the  Church  to  the  teacher,  who  can  select 
from  them  according  to  the  needs  and  capac- 
ity of  the  pupils.     Pupils  of  academies,  high 
\  schools,  and  the  highest  grade  of  grammar 
\schools   will,    no   doubt,   be    able    to    grasp 
/nearly   all    contained    in    these    pages;    for 
I  smaller   children   the  less  important  points 
/may  be  passed  over.      The  instructions  are 
I  arranged  according  to  the  questions  of  the 
V  Baltimore  Catechism,  which  is  now  in  nearly 


PREFACE  9 

general  use  in  our  Catholic  schools.  A  few 
instructions  have  been  introduced  to  which 
no  question  corresponds  in  the  catechism. 
The  reason  for  this  is  apparent ;  the  logical 
connection  of  the  doctrine  required  it ;  these 
questions  are,  moreover,  of  prime  importance, 
e.g,  the  doctrine  that  God  wills  all  men  to 
be  saved,  and  hence  gives  to  every  man 
sufficient  grace;  the  doctrine  of  the  necessity 
of  good  works.  The  insertion  of  these  in- 
structions has  compelled  me  to  unite  in 
several  cases  two  questions  in  one,  since  I 
wished  to  retain  the  number  twelve,  the 
number  of  questions  in  the  Baltimore  Cate- 
chism, as  also  not  to  swell  the  book  be- 
yond proportions.  This  has  been  done  in 
the  case  of  such  questions  as  would  permit 
a  briefer  treatment,  or  which  were  again 
touched  upon  in  other  parts  of  the  catechism. 
The  instructions  are  based  on  a  small  Ger- 
man treatise,  Nepefny,  Das  Uebernatuerliche 
Leben,  of  which  this  is  an  adaptation.  The 
work  of  adapting  it  to  the  Baltimore  Cate- 
chism has,  however,  necessitated  in  several 


10  PREFACE 

cases  the  writing  of  entirely  new  instruc- 
tions, in  others  the  contracting  of  several 
into  one,  together  with  many  other  addi- 
tions and  omissions,  so  that  this  book  has 
lost  much  of  its  resemblance  to  the  original. 


EDMUND  J.  WIRTH. 


Rochester,  N.Y. 
Feast  of  Pentecost,  1903. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Introduction       .......  13 

II.     Nature  and  Division  of  Grace    .        .         .        •  31 

Nature  of  Grace 31 

Division  of  Grace       .         .         .         .         •41 

III.  Nature  of  Sanctifying  Grace       ....  48 

IV.  How  Justification  is  obtained     ....  76 
V.     The  Infused  Virtues  in  General,  and  Faith  in 

Particular 103 

The  Infused  Virtues 103 

Faith          . 116 

VI.     Hope  and  Charity 133 

Hope 133 

Divine  Charity  .         .         .         .         .         •  144 

VII.     The  State  of  Grace 163 

The  State  of  Privation  of  Sanctifying  Grace  1 81 

VIII.     Good  Works 194 

IX.     Nature  and  Necessity  of  Actual  Grace        .         .  223 
Nature  of  Actual  Grace     .         .         .         .223 

Necessity  of  Grace 235 

X.     Distribution  of  Grace 251 

Measure  of  Grace 269 

XI.     Cooperation  with  Grace 281 

XII.     Grace  of  Perseverance.     Conclusion.        .         •  311 
Grace  of  Perseverance        .        .        .         .311 

Conclusion 325 

II 


DIVINE  GRACE 


INTRODUCTION 

WTiich  are  the  chief  effects  of  the  Redemption  7 
The  chief  effects  of  the  Redemption  are  two :  the  satis- 
faction of  God^s  justice  by  Chris fs  suffering  and  deaths 
and  the  gaining  of  grace  for  men.  , 

All  things  have  a  purpose  for  which  they 
exist.  The  tools  which  we  use,  the  things  that 
grow  in  the  field,  all  have  their  usefulness. 
The  plants  and  animals  exist  to  furnish 
food  and  clothing  for  man.  We  have  eyes  to 
see,  ears  to  hear,  feet  to  walk,  hands  to  work. 
All  things  have  their  purpose  —  is  man 
alone  to  be  an  exception  to  this  rule  ?  No, 
certainly  not ;  man,  too,  exists  for  a  purpose. 
What  this  purpose  is  our  catechism  tells  us 
on  the  very  first  page :  God  made  me  to  know 
Him^  to  love  Him^  and  to  serve  Him  in  this 


14  INTRODUCTION 

world,  and  to  be  happy  with  Him  forever  in 
the  next.     This  is  the  purpose  for  which  we 
were  created.     There  are  many  people  who 
have  given  up  all  belief  in  Christianity  and 
lead  bad  lives.     They  say  that  with  death  all 
is  over,  that  there  is  no  heaven  or  hell,  that 
( there  is  no  God.     They  say  that  man  is  noth- 
■  ing  but  a  more  highly  developed  animal,  that 
;  there  is  no  essential  difference  between  man 
\  and  the  brute  animals.    Of  course  they  do  not 
believe  this  themselves ;  they  talk  in  this  man- 
ner that  they  may  the  more  easily  give  free 
rein  to  their  evil  passions,  and  thus  live  like 
animals.     How  could  any  one  in  his  heart 
believe  such  an  absurdity !     How  much  man 
differs   from   an   animal!      He    has    under- 
standing by  which  he  can  know  truth  —  yes, 
reach    to    a    knowledge    of    God    Himself. 

*  This    lifts    him   far   above    the    brute,  who 

•  knows  nothing  but  to  seek  its  food  and 
bodily  pleasure.  Man  has  free  will,  and  can 
direct  his  own  actions.  He  is  the  lord  of 
creation ;  all  other  things  are  but  to  serve 
him.     Even  one  look  at  his  body  shows  us 


INTRODUCTION  15 

the  great  difference  there  is  between  him 
and  animals ;  whilst  the  animal  has  its  head 
turned  toward  the  earth,  man  onl^  touches  it 
with  the  sole  of  his  foot,  as  if  to  indicate  that 
he  is  not  made  for  the  earth,  but  that  his  des- 
tiny is  higher.  Man  is  not  for  the  earth,  but 
the  earth  is  for  man.  He  is  made  to  the 
image  and  likeness  of  God,  and  his  destiny 
is  far  higher  than  that  of  the  animals.  Man 
is  made  for  heaven. 

That  our  destiny  or  last  end  is  not  in  this 
world  we  know  also  from  the  intense  desire  of 
happiness  which  we  experience  in  our  hearts 
and  which  the  things  of  this  world  cannot 
satisfy.  As  St.  Augustine  says,  "  Our  heart  is 
unquiet  until  it  rests  in  God."^  If  man  were 
made  for  this  world,  the  things  of  this  world 
would  satisfy  him ;  but  this  is  not  the  case. 
"  The  eye  is  not  filled  with  seeing,  neither  is 
the  ear  filled  with  hearing."  ^  The  things  01 
this  world  may  seem  to  satisfy  us  for  a  time,  but 
soon  we  tire  of  them  and  seek  new  pleasures.  C 
If  worldly  possessions  and  the  pleasures  of 

1  Conf.  I.  I.  2  Eccles.  i.  8. 


I6  INTRODUCTION 

earth  could  make  us  happy,  then  at  least 
Sjjlog^on  should  have  been  happy;  for  he 
possessed  accomplishments  of  mind  and 
body,  wealth  and  wisdom,  he  tasted  all 
pleasure.  And  yet  at  the  end  of  his  life  he 
exclaimed  with  bitterness  of  soul,  "Vanity 
of  vanities,  and  all  is  vanity"^;  Le.  all  the 
goods  of  this  world  are  nothing  but  empty 
shadows,  devoid  of  any  real  value. 

We  will,  therefore,  not  listen  to  the  foolish 
talk  of  those  who  debase  the  dignity  of  man 
and  try  to  reduce  him  to  the  level  of  the 
beast,  in  order  to  abuse  him  for  their  shame- 
ful and  sinful  schemes.  We  will  maintain 
our  dignity,  and  as  men  and  Christians 
remain  faithful  to  the  teaching  of  our  cate- 
chism, which  tells  us  that  we  are  created 
for  the  happiness  of  heaven.  We  will  not 
be  deceived  by  men  without  faith;  we  will 
not  be  robbed  of  our  Christian  inheritance ; 
we  will  not  be  as  foolish  as  was  E^ii.  who 
sold  his  inheritance  for  a  mess  of   pottage. 

Heaven  is  the  end  of  our  pilgrimage  here 
^Ecdcs.  I.  2. 


INTRODUCTION  17 

Upon  earth.  What  a  sublime  destiny !  We 
are  to  be  eternally  happy!  We  are  made 
for  heaven,  the  place  of  perfect  happiness 
with  God!  The  happiness  of  heaven  ex- 
ceeds all  that  we  can  imagine  or  think. 
"Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  ^ 
neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of 
man,  what  things  God  hath  prepared  for 
them    that    love    Him."^      "We    see    now. 

A 

through  a  glass,    in    an    obscure    manner; 

but   then  face   to   face."^      What  joy   and 

happiness  to  see  God  face  to  face,  to  see 

Him  as  He  is  in  all   His  beauty!      What 

joy  and  happiness  to  be  always  with   God 

and   His   Blessed   Mother  in   the   company 

of  all  the  angels  and  saints  of  God! 

This    is    the    happiness    for  which    God 

created  man;    this  is  the  happiness  which 

man  was  surely  to   attain;   but  by  the  sin 

of  Adam  an  obstacle  was  put  in  the  way. 

God   created   man,   and    to   try  his   fidelity 

He  gave  him  a  command  not  to  eat  of  the 

fruit  of    a   certain    tree   in  the  garden   of 

*  I  Cor.  2. 9.  *  I  Cor.  12.  13. 

c 


i8  INTRODUCTION 

Paradise.  If  he  remained  faithful,  he  was 
to  be  preserved  from  death,  and  after  a  time 
to  be  taken  to  heaven,  there  to  be  happy 
forever  with  God.  We  know  from  our 
Bible  History  what  happened :  the  devil  in 
the  shape  of  a  serpent  tempted  Eve,  prom- 
ising her  that  if  they  ate  of  the  forbidden 
fruit,  they  should  become  like  God,  know- 
ing good  and  evil.  Eve  allowed  herself  to 
be  deceived  and  took  of  the  fruit  and  ate 
and  also  gave  it  to  Adam,  and  he,  too,  ate 
of  it.  By  this  act  of  disobedience  to  the 
law  of  God  our  first  parents  lost  all  the 
'-^- 4- v^/  supernatural  gifts  bestowed  on  them  by 
'V/fr^  God,  and  they  were  driven  from  Paradise. 
They  lost  the  gift  of  immortality,  and  were 
made  subject  to  death;  they  lost  heaven, 
<  which  was  promised  them  on  condition 
^  that  they  remain  obedient.  The  punish- 
ment was  death  of  the  body  and  death  of 
the  soul.  They  had  offended  God  by  trans- 
gressing a  commandment  which  God  had 
made  for  them.  God  had  intended  that 
the   state  of  friendship  with  Him  in  which 


INTRODUCTION  19 

they  were  created,  and  the  happiness  of 
heaven  which  was  to  follow,  were  to  be 
handed  down  by  them  to  their  descendants. 
When  they  lost  these  gifts  which  God 
had  bestowed  on  them,  they  lost  them  not 
only  for  themselves  but  also  for  their 
descendants.  They  could  not  hand  down 
that  which  they  had  lost.  Through  the 
sin  of  Adam  and  Eve  we  are  born,  not 
friends  of  God,  as  we  should  have  been  had 
they  not  sinned,  but  we  are  born  His  ene- 
mies ;  we  are  born  in  sin.  This  sin  is  called 
'original  sin.  The  condition  of  man  is,  there- 
fore,  much  worse  after  the  fall  than  it  was 
before  the  fall.  We  have  not  the  gift  of 
(immortality,  we  are  not  born  in  the  friend- 
[ship  of  God ;  and  with  the  loss  of  the  right 
[to  the  inheritance  of  heaven  our  understand- 
ing is  darkened,  and  there  is  left  in  us  a 
strong  inclination  to  evil. 

Sin  is  an  offence  against  God.  Justice 
demands  that  some  reparation  should  be 
made  for  this  offence.  When  we  consider 
the  greatness  of  the  offence,  we  see  that  man 


ao  INTRODUCTION 

could  not  repair  the  injury  done.  The 
offence  was  against  God;  He  who  is  infinite 
in  all  perfections  was  insulted  by  one  whom 
He  had  made  out  of  nothing.  Just  as  it  is 
a  greater  fault  to  insult  one  who  is  far  above 
us  than  it  is  to  insult  one  who  is  our  equal 
or  even  below  us,  so  it  was  an  immeasurably 
great  crime  to  insult  God,  who  is  infinitely 
above  man ;  likewise  it  is  a  greater  fault 
to  insult  one  who  has  shown  us  nothing  but 
kindness  than  it  is  to  insult  a  stranger  to 
whom  we  owe  no  gratitude ;  God  had  been 
not  merely  a  friend  and  benefactor,  but  He 
had  given  to  man  all  that  man  was  and 
possessed.  We  see  from  the  greatness 
of  the  guilt  of  sin  that  man  was  unable 
to  make  reparation  for  the  offence  com- 
mitted against  God.  God  took  pity  on  the 
work  of  His  hand,  and  sent  His  only  Son 
to  redeem  us,  and  thus  reinstate  us  in  His 
friendship.  It  was  His  love  that  prompted 
A  Him  to  do  this,  for  He  "so  loved  the  world 
as  to  give  His  only  begotten  Son"^  to  re- 
1  John  3. 16. 


INTRODUCTION  21 

deem  it.  The  Son  of  God,  being  true  God 
as  the  Father  is  God,  could  make  ample 
satisfaction  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  This 
He  did  bj^  His  Passion  and  death.  Hence 
our  catechism  gives,  as  the  first  effect  of 
the  Redemption,  the  satisfaction  of  God's 
justice  by  Christ's  Passion  and  death. 

The  second  person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
became  man,  suffered  and  died,  not  only^  ^ 
to  satisfy  God's  justice,  but  also  to  gain 
grace  for  man.  Christ  died,  not  only  to  make 
rei)aration  for  the  insult  offered  to  God  by 
sin^  but  also  to  raise  man  again  to  the  state 
of  friendship  with  God,  to  reopen  heaven 
to  him.  Through  sin  heaven,  for  which 
man  had  been  created,  was  closed  to  him; 
Christ  came  to  obtain  for  man  that  which 
was  necessary  that  he  might  again  be  made 
worthy  of  that  inexpressible  happiness  which 
comes  from  the  possession  of  God  Himself 
for  all  eternity.  Through  the  merits  of  the 
suffering  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ  we  are 
again  called  to  the  inheritance  of  the  king- 
dom  of  heaven. 


22  INTRODUCTION 

What  must  we  do  in  order  that  we  may 

reach  heaven?  is  the  all-important  question 

for    us.      God    wills    us    to    reach    heaven 

because    He  is  our  Father;   He  has  made 

heaven  for  us  and  wants  us,  His   children, 

to   be  with    Him   for   all    eternity.      When 

we  had   lost  our  right  to  heaven   through 

sin,  God's  only  begotten  Son  became  man 

to   regain   it  for  us.      If   God  wills   us   to 

obtain   the    possession   of    heaven,   we   can 

/^obtain  it.     Still,  heaven  is  not  to  be  given 

\  us  without  our  doing  something  to  earn  it. 

\  Heaven  is  to  be  a  reward.     St.  Paul  com- 

\  pares  heaven  to  a  crown  that  is  given  to 

/  the  victor  in  a  race.^     Our  Lord  says,  "  The 

/  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and 

\  the  violent  bear  it  away."  ^ 

^    There  is  then  something  to  be  done  on 

our  part  that  we  may   receive  the   reward 

of  eternal  happiness.     What  is  this.?     To  be 

saved  we  must  believe  in  God^  and  keep  His 

commandments.      First   we   must   believe   in 

Him;    we   must    believe   all   that    He   has 

1 1  Cor.  9.  24.  2  Matt.  11.  12. 


INTRODUCTION  23 

made  known  and  proposes  for  our  belief 
through  the  holy  Catholic  Church.  This 
is  the  first  requisite.  "Without  faith  it  is*. 
impossible  to  please  God."  ^  "  He  that 
believeth  not  shall  be  condemned."^  One 
who  refuses  to  believe  the  truths  which 
God  Himself  has  revealed  insults  God. 
Such  a  one  will  not  go  to  heaven,  but  will 
be  punished  forever  in  hell.  We  will  there- 
fore always  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed 
and  teaches  us  through  His  holy  Church, 
for  God  is  all  truth  and  cannot  deceive  us ; 
He  is  all-knowing  and  cannot  err.  ^  We  will » 
therefore  always  be  good,  faithful  Christians, 
clinging  to  the  faith  of  the  holy  Catholic 
Church.  In  this  faith  we  will  live,  and  in 
this  faith  we  hope  to  die. 
^  The  second  condition  which  we  must 
fulfil  in  order  to  be  saved  is  to  ^eep  the 
commandments  of  God,  "  If  thou  wilt  enter 
into  life,  keep  the  commandments."  ^  If  we  ' 
wish  to  go  to  heaven,  it  is  not  enough  to 
believe;  we  must   also  keep  the  command- 

1  Heb.  II.  6.  2  Mark  16.  16.  »  Matt.  19.  17.     • 


34  INTRODUCTION 

ments  which  God  has  made  for  us.  We 
cannot  reasonably  expect  that  God  will 
make  us  eternally  happy,  merely  because 
we  believe  what  He  says,  if  we  refuse  to  do 
what  He  commands  us.  To  be  saved  we 
must  do  His  holy  will,  we  must  be  obedient 
to  Him,  we  must  keep  His  commandments. 
Our  catechism  teaches  us  this  in  the  ques- 
tion :  "  Is  it  enough  to  belong  to  God's 
Church  in  order  to  be  saved?  It  is  not 
enough  to  belong  to  God's  Church  in  order 
to  be  saved,  but  we  must  also  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  God  and  of  the  Church."  We 
belong  to  the  Church  through  faith;  this 
is  not  enough,  we  must  also  obey  God  by 
keeping  the  commandments  which  He  has 
given  us,  and  those  which  the  Church 
^  makes  by  His  authority.  We  will  therefore 
be  good  Catholics,  believing  all  that  God 
teaches  through  the  Church,  and  obeying 
cheerfully  His  holy  will,  as  we  know  it 
through  His  commandments. 

Can    we    believe  and  keep    the   command- 
ments of  God?     This  most  important  ques- 


INTRODUCTION  25 

tion  may  be  answered  in  two  ways.  W 
may  answer,  Yes ;  with  the  help  of  God,  we 
can  believe  and  keep  His  commandments 
or,  we  may  answer.  No ;  of  our  own  strength 
we  can  do  nothing  to  deserve  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  Both  answers,  though  at  first 
sight  opposite,  are  true.  With  God's  help 
we  can  do  all  things.  "  I  can  do  all  things 
in  Him  that  strengtheneth  me."^  Without 
that  help  of  God  we  can  do  nothing.  "  With- 
out Me,"  says  our  Lord,  "  you  can  do  noth- 
ing."^ All  therefore  depends  on  the  help 
of  God ;  if  we  have  Him  with  us,  all  things 
become  easy  to  us.  This  help  of  God, 
which  is  so  necessary  to  believe  and  to  keep 
the  commandments  of  God,  and  hence  to  be 
saved,  we  call  Divine  Grace.  If  we  rely  on 
our  own  strength,  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
comply  with  the  conditions  which  our  Lord 
has  laid  down  for  salvation ;  if,  however,  we 
rely  upon  the  help  of  God,  that  is,  upon 
His  grace,  then  we  shall  be  able  to  believe 
and  obey  in  a  manner  worthy  of  eternal  life. 

1  Philip.  4.  13.  2  John  15.  5. 


M 


f}i1l^)c4k 


26  INTRODUCTION 

y  You  may  often  have  experienced  this 
yourselves.  Perhaps  you  had  some  evil  habit, 
—  lying,  disobedience,  or  cursing  —  and  at 
confession  you  were  really  sorry  for  your 
fault ;  you  promised  God  faithfully  to  amend 
and  to  do  better  for  the  future,  but  after  a 
few  days  you  fell  back  into  your  old  sin, 
and  were  perhaps  even  worse  than  before 
confession.  What  was  the  reason  of  this? 
You  were  sincere  when  you  promised  to 
avoid  this  sin,  but  you  depended  on  your 
own  strength,  and  neglected  to  pray  for  the 
help  of  God.  The  consequence  was  that 
your  strength  failed  you,  and  you  fell  back 
into  your  old  ways.  Had  you  prayed,  instead 
of  depending  on  yourself,  and  saidi^.O  my 
God,  I  recognize  my  fault,  and  wish  to 
avoid  sin  for  the  future ;  but  of  myself  I 
am  weak  and  miserable.  Give  me  the  help 
of  your  holy  grace,  strengthen  my  will,  help 
me,  save  me.  Had  you  prayed  in  this  man- 
ner, instead  of  trusting  in  yourself,  you 
would  have  overcome  your  fault,  or,  at  least, 
you  would   have  improved  remarkably  and 


INTRODUCTION  27 

not  fallen  so  frequently.  God  often  permits 
one  who  trusts  in  himself  to  fall  into  sin 
that  he  may  learn  his  own  weakness  and 
so  acquire  humility.  "  God  resisteth  the  j^. 
proud  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble."^ 
God  assists  them  that  trust  in  Him,  and 
confounds  them  that  are  self-sufficient  and 
act  as  though  they  did  not  need  His  grace 
to  avoid  sin.  Hence  the  Psalmist  sings, 
"  O  God,  come  to  my  assistance ;  O  Lord,  * 
make  haste  to  help  me."^ 

(^rg^iieisik^refore  ^fcessgrv  to  believe  and 

grace  for  us  Jesus  suffered  and  died.  His 
Passion  and  death  satisfied  the  justice  of 
God  for  the  sins  committed  against  Him, 
and  hence  St.  John  theBaptist  calls  Him 
the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  . 
the  world.^  His  Passion  and  death  merited 
for  us  grace  so  that  we  might  again  be  able 
to  enter  the  happiness  of  heaven.  "  Neither /^^ 
is  there  salvation  in  any  other.  For  there 
is  no  other  name  under  heaven  given  to 
^  James  4.  6.  ^  Psalm  69.  i.  «  John  i.  29. 


38  INTRODUCTION 

men  whereby  we  must  be  saved." ^  He,  Him- 
self^^^Us  ^3§.Jhat^jio  jrnan  can  comg^J:o^^e 
Father  except  through  Him.  Without  the 
grace  of  God  we  cannot  be  saved ;  this 
grace  which  is  so  necessary  for  our  salvation 
comes  to  us  from  Jesus,  who  merited  it  by 
His  Passion  and  death.  Jesus  is  called  on 
this  account  the  second  Adam.  Just  as  we 
have  all  fallen  in  the  first  Adam,  and  are 
descended  from  him  as  sinners,  so  we  must 
be  freed  from  sin  and  descend  from  the 
J  second  Adam  as  saints.  We  will,  therefore, 
^  earnestly  pray  for  the  help  of  God's  grace ; 
we  will  not  trust  in  our  own  strength,  but 
rather  put  our  trust  in  God. 
JjWpe  answered  the  question  whether  we 
could  believe  and  keep  the  commandments 
by  saying  that,  although  of  ourselves  we  are 
unable  to  do  anything,  we  could  believe  and 
eep  the  commandments  of  God  with  His 
■help.  This  answer  shows  us  that  grace  is 
necessary,  but  it  also  shows  us  that  grace 
alone  will  not  make  us  believe  and  keep  the 
V^.  1  Acts  4.  12. 


INTRODUCTION  39 

commandments,  since  we  say  that  with  the 
help  of  His  grace  we  can  believe  and  keep 
the  commandments.  We.  too,  must  do  some- 
thing ;  God  helps  us,  true,  yet  He  does  not 
want  us  to  stand  by  idle ;  but  rather  to  work 
with  His  grace  in  believing  and  doing  what 
is  good.  St.  Paul  says,  "  I  can  do  all  things  ^ , 
in  Him  that  strengtheneth  me."  God's  help 
will  not  be  wanting  if  only  we  have  the 
good  will  to  use  His  grace  and  perform 
good  works.  God  has  given  us  free  will 
because  He  desires  a  free  servicgj  He 
wishes  us  to  serve  Him  out  of  love  —  not 
because  we  are  compelled  to  serve  Him,  and 
cannot  avoid  doing  so.  In  this  way  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars,  the  animals  and  plants, 
serve  Him.  "  The  heavens  show  forth  the  y^ 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  declareth 
the  work  of  His  hands."  ^  Man,  however,  is 
to  serve  God  as  a  rational  creature ;  he  is 
to  serve  Him  by  submitting  his  intellect  to 
faith  and  his  will  to  obedience. 

We   have   seen   that  we   are  created  for 

1  Psalm  1 8.  I. 


30  INTRODUCTION 

heaven,  and  that  after  heaven  was  lost  by 
sin,  Christ,  the  second  person  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity  became  man,  and  by  His  death 
atoned,  ix,  made  satisfaction,  for  sin;  that 
through  the  Passion  and  death  of  Jesus 
Christ  heaven  was  again  opened  to  man, 
and  grace,  necessary  to  obtain  the  pos- 
session of  heaven,  was  given  us.  In  the 
tenth  lesson  of  the  catechism,  which  we  are 
about  to  study,  we  shall  learn  what  grace  is, 
how  many  kinds  of  grace  there  are,  and 
how  necessary  it  is  for  salvation.  We  will 
endeavor  to  be  very  attentive,  so  that  we 
may  understand  rightly  the  teaching  of  the 
.^jChurch  on  this  most  important  subject.  "  O 
merciful  Lord,  incline  Thine  ears  to  our 
prayers,  and  enlighten  our  hearts  by  the 
grace  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit;  that  we  may 
worthily  receive  Thy  holy  mysteries,  and 
love  Thee  with  an  everlasting  love." 


II 

NATURE    AND   DIVISION    OF   GRACE 
NATURE   OF   GRACE 

JVhat  do  you  mean  by  grace  ? 

By  grace  I  mean  a  supernatural  gift  of  God  bestowed 
on  us,  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  our  salvation. 

If  we  meet  a  great  man  who  is  above  us 
in  social  position,  one  to  whom  we  look  up 
and  whom  we  honor,  and  he  receives  us 
kindly,  speaks  to  us,  gives  us  some  valuable 
present,  we  say  of  him  that  he  is  very  kind 
and  gracious,  Grace  can  signify  kindness, 
but  it  may  also  be  taken  to  signify  a  present 
or  gift .  by  which  we  recognize  the  kindness 
of  the  giver.  In  this  second  sense  it  is  used 
in  our  catechism.  Grace  is,  therefore,  a  pres- 
ent or  a  gift  which  we  receive  from  One  who 
is  higher  than  we  are.  A  gift  is  something 
that  we  receive  without  having  earned  or 
deserved  it.     If  we  work  for  a  man  for  a 

31 


32  NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF  GRACE 

certain  sum  of  money,  and  he  gives  us  this 
money  at  the  end  of  the  time  we  worked  for 
him,  we  do  not  receive  a  gift  —  we  receive 
our  wages.  Because  a  man  pays  us  our 
wages  we  do  not  need  to  consider  him  as 
especially  kind  and  gracious.  If,  however, 
some  one  gives  us  something  which  we  have 
not  worked  for  and  which  consequently  we 
did  not  earn,  then  we  receive  a  gift.  Grace 
is  not  wages,  but  a  gift. 
/^>^.^0i5w^*^jace  is  a  supernatural  gift.  A  gift  such 
as  w^oescribed  above  is  a  merely  natural 
gift.  The  catechism  says  that  grace  is  a 
supernatural  one.  What  does  this  mean .? 
v,Let  us  illustrate  by  a  few  examples.  Some 
one  is  sick,  and  God  gives  him  back  his 
health ;  or  a  boy  has  received  special  talents, 
quickness  of  understanding,  a  good  memory, 
so  that  he  learns  quickly  and  retains  easily 
what  he  has  learned ;  or  we  might  take  the 
example  of  Solomon  who  received  extraordi- 
nary wisdom.  All  these  things  are  gifts  of 
God,  but  they  are  not  supernatural  gifts. 
They  confer  only  what  one  might  have  by 


NATURE  AND  DIVISION  OF  GRACE         33 

nature,  or  they  strengthen  the  natural  powers 
of  the  soul  or  body.  Health  is  something 
natural,  so  is  understanding  and  memory,  so 
also  is  wisdom.  Grace  is  something  higher 
than  these  things ;  it  has  to  do  with  our 
eternal  salvation.  It  is  a  gift  which  is  to 
help  us  reach  heaven  and  be  eternally  happy ; 
it  is  a  gift  which  is  to  help  us  reach  the  end  ' 
for  which  we  were  created ;  it  is  a  gift  which 
does  not  belong  to  this  world  but  to  the 
next;  it  is  a  gift  which  brings  us  to  God. 
When  Solomon  received  from  God  great 
wisdom  he  obtained  a  natural  gift,  because 
he  might  have  been  the  wisest  of  men  and 
yet  not  obey  the  commandments  of  God  and 
so  lose  heaven.  When,  however,  a  boy  re-x 
cites  a  prayer  before  confession,  and  asks 
God  to  give  him  true  sorrow  for  his  sins  and 
the  help  to  avoid  them  for  the  future,  then 
he  prays  for  a  supernatural  gift.  Likewise 
we  pray  for  a  supernatural  gift  when  we  say, 
"  Jesus,  have  mercy  on  us,"  because  then  we 
ask  for  the  mercy  which  is  necessary  for 
the  forgiveness  of  our  sins.     When  Solomon 


34  NATURE  AND  DIVISION   OF  GRACE 

received  wisdom,  it  was  the  wisdom  to  rule 
his  people  well.  This  was  only  a  natural 
gift,  intended  for  his  own  temporal  welfare 
and  that  of  the  Jewish  people.  On  the  con- 
trary, when  we  read  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
the  words  of  Solomon,  "  And  as  I  knew  that  I 
could  not  otherwise  be  continent,  except  God 
gave  it,  and  this  was  also  a  point  of  wisdom, 
to  know  whose  gift  it  was;  I  went  to  the 
Lord,  and  besought  Him,  and  said,  with  my 
/whole  heart,  etc," ^  we  see  that  here  he  asked 
I  for  a  supernatural  giftj'' since  continence  con- 
jsists  in  overcoming  nature.  It  was  also  a 
supernatural  grace  to  know  that  it  was  a  gift 
of  God,  and  that  we  must  pray  for  it.  The 
gift  of  God  which  we  call  grace  is  not  a 
natural  but  a  supernatural  one,  that  is,  it 
is  a  gift  which  helps  us  to  obtain  eternal 
salvation. 

The  supernatural  gift  of  grace  is  given  us 
throug^h  the  merits  of  hsus  Christ,  In  the 
beginning  God  created  man  for  eternal  hap- 
piness in  heaven,  and  gave  him  all  the  grace 

1  Wisd.  8.  21. 


NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF  GRACE  35 

necessary  to  reach  this  end.  Man,  however, 
did  not  remain  faithful  but  sinned,  and  so 
lost  the  supernatural  gift  he  had  received. 
By  this  sin  Adam  brought  misery  on  him- 
self and  on  his  descendants.  ,  No  one  ^c^^^ 
have  obtained  grace  for  himself  or  for  others,  1  ^# 
had  not  a  Redeemer  been  promised  and  sent  • 
by  God.  This  Redeemer  was  the  only- 
begotten  Son  of  God  the  Father.  All  grace 
given  to  man  before  His  coming  was  given 
because  God  had  promised  to  send  Him,  and 
foreknew  that  by  His  suffering  and  death 
He  would  obtain  for  mankind  a  superabun- 
dance of  grace.  The  Son  of  God  became 
man,  and  shed  His  blood  for  the  redemption 
of  the  world;  His  blood  "that  speaketh  bet-;^ 
ter  than  Abel "  ^  washed  out  the  sins  of  the 
world  and  merited  grace  for  men.  Abel's 
blood  cried  to  heaven  for  vengeance,  but  the 
blood  of  Jesus  cries  to  heaven  for  forgiveness 
and  grace.  Grace  is  bestowed  on  man  on 
account  of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ ;  but  it 
does  not  cease  to  be  grace  because  God  is      *'^ 

1  Heb.  12.  24. 


36         NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF  GRACE 

moved  to  grant  it  to  us  through  the  merits 
of  His  Divine  Son.  It  still  remains  unde- 
served on  our  part,  as  well  as  a  gift  of 
mercy  on  the  part  of  God,  because  even  His 
Son  was  a  gift  of  His  mercy.  Love  does 
not  destroy  God's  freedom  in  giving  us  His 
grace,  for  God  is  all-free  and  "  God  is  love."  ^ 
y  The  supernatural  gift  of  grace,  bestowed 
on  us  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  is 
given  us  ,^^^ot^salvcUion.  God  made  us 
for  heaven;  He  wishes  us  to  be  forever 
happy  with  Him.  This  is  the  reason  why 
He  gives  us  His  holy  grace.  By  grace  He 
acts  continually  on  our  souls,  giving  us  the 
light  of  His  truth,  that  we  may  believe  firmly 
all  that  He  has  revealed,  moving  our  wjll,  that 
we  may  avoid  sin  and  do  good.  If  we  are 
faithful  to  Him,  He  will  lead  us  through 
life  and  crown  us  with  the  crown  of  glory. 
This  is  the  purpose  of  grace  and  its  perfec- 
tion. Heaven  seems  far  off;  how  can  we 
reach  it  1  Of  our  own  strength  we  can 
never   obtain   it,    but    by    God's   grace   its 

1 1  John  4.  1 6. 


NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF  GRACE  37 

possession  will  be  easy.  "  No  man  can  come 
to  Me,  except  the  Father,  who  hath  sent 
Me,  draw  him."^  Let  us  rejoice  to  know 
that  God  has  not  only  made  us  for  heaven, 
but  also  gives  us  the  means  of  reaching  it. 
He,  as  it  were,  says  to  us :  I  have  prepared 
unspeakable  joys  for  you  in  heaven;  take 
courage.  I  Myself  will  help  to  obtain  them 
if  only  you  do  not  resist  Me.  I  will  give 
you  the  necessary  strength  by  My  grace. 
"  My  grace  is  suflScient  for  thee."  ^ 

Grace  is  given  us  to  obtain  eternal  life ;  it 
is  therefore  most  valuable,  Grace,  says  St. 
Thomas,^  is  more  valuable  than  the  whole 
world  with  all  that  it  contains.  St.  Augus- 
tine affirms  that  even  heaven  and  all  the  , 
choirs  of  angels  cannot  be  compared  with  #  ^  ^ 
grace.  Man  ought  to  be  more  thankful  to 
God  for  the  smallest  gift  of  divine  grace 
than  if  he  had  received  the  perfection  of  the 
highest  angels  and  had  been  made  king  of 
heaven  and  earth.     The  angels,  too,  enjoy  the 

1  John  6.  44.  2  2  Cor.  12.  9. 

«  Sum.  Theol.  I-II,  qu.  113,  a.  9  ad  2. 


38  NATURE  AND  DIVISION   OF  GRACE 

grace  of  God,  and  hence  St.  Augustine  is 
speaking  only  of  the  natural  perfections  of 
the  angels.  Grace  is  a  ray  of  the  beauty  of 
God  that  falls  on  our  souls  to  make  them 
also  beautiful.  Since  grace  makes  us  worthy 
of  the  love  and  possession  of  God  Himself, 
it  cannot  be  understood  by  us  entirely;  its 
value  cannot  be  measured  by  anything 
created ;  it  can  only  be  compared  to  God. 
The  angels  in  heaven  cannot  appreciate  fully 
the  value  of  grace ;  they  stand  and  adore 
the  mercy  of  God,  who  communicates  Him- 
self to  His  creatures.  I  fear,  however,  that 
they  also  stand  and  wonder  at  the  incompre- 
,  hensible  folly  of  man,  who  so  lightly  casts 
^/.  aside  that  precious  g:ift  for  a  piece  of  dirt  in 
*^  the  shape  of  money  or  some  vile  pleasure  of 
the  senses.  The  angels  must  weep  at  seeing 
us,  who  are  called  to  the  highest  honor  and 
the  greatest  happiness  in  heaven,  rushing 
headlong  into  misery  and  sin,  exposing  our- 
selves to  the  danger  of  being  cast  forever 
into  hell  with  the  devil  and  his  followers. 
Indeed,  the  prophet  spoke  the  truth  when  he 


NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF   GRACE  39 

said,  "With  desolation  is  all  the  land  madcij 
desolate,  because  there  is  none  that  consider- 
eth  in  his  heart."  ^  If  we  considered  the  value 
of  divine  grace,  that  grace  alone  can  bring  us 
to  the  end  for  which  we  were  created,  that  it 
alone  can  bring  us  the  everlasting  happiness 
of  heaven,  would  we  care  so  little  for  it  and 
cast  it  aside  so  readily  ?     Assuredly  not. 

Grace  is  compared  by  St.  Aug^ustine  to 
the  soul.  Matter  in  itself  is  dead,  and  can 
never  of  itself  become  living ;  it  requires  a 
soul  to  put  life  and  motion  into  the  dead 
clay :  man,  too,  of  himself  is  dead  for  heaven, 
and  can  no  more  of  his  own  strength  gain 
heaven  than  a^j^igce  „  of  liieles^ 
itself  stand  up  and  walk.  God  Himself  " 
cannot  create  a  creature  for  which  grace 
should  be  a  natural  perfection,  just  as  He 
cannot  create  matter  which  can  think  with- 
out having  a  soul.  As  the  soul  is  the  cause 
of  natural  life,  so  grace  is  the  cause  of  the 
life  of  heaven.  The  earth  receives  its  light 
from  the  sun,  and  if  the  sun  should  cease  to , 

,   1  Jer.  12.  II. 


I » 


40  NATURE   AND  DIVISION   OF   GRACE 

I  give  light,  the  earth  would  be  in  darkness ; 

'  so  our  soul  is  but  like  the  earth,  and  grace  is 

♦  »  the  sun  that  illumines  it  and  gives  it  all  the 

beauty  that  it  possesses  in  the  eyes  of  God. 

Grace  makes  the  poor  man  richer  than  the 

greatest  king ;  a  man  who  has  the  grace  of 

iGod   has  a  greater   treasure   than   he  who 

(possesses  all  the  wealth  of  the  earth. 


X^   We  should  be  ve\ 


very  grateful  to  God  for 
Iv  p'race.     We  thank  Him 


the  gift  of  His  holy  grace, 
that  He  has  created  us  out  of  nothing,  and 
has  placed  us  above  all  His  works.  How 
much  greater  gratitude  do  we  not  owe 
Him  for  the  still  greater  gift  of  grace? 
We  should  never  for  a  moment  forget  the 
greatness  of  this  gift  of  God,  lest  we  be- 
come like  those  men  in  the  gospel  who 
were  invited  to  a  banquet,  but  neglected  to 
come  for  the  sake  of  some  little  gain  or 
pleasure.  Of  them  our  Lord  said  that  they 
were  not  worthy  of  the  banquet.  We  will 
always  keep  before  our  mind  the  inestima- 
ble value  of  divine  grace,  that  it  is  more 
valuable  than  all   the  things  of  this  earth 


NATURE   AND   DIVISION   OF   GRACE  41 

or  even  all  that  the  ano-els  possess,  apart  from 
grace,  that  it  is  given  us  to  make  us  forever 
happy,  that  without  it  we  cannot  reach  the 
end  for  which  God  created  us,  that  its  perfec- 
tion is  in  the  glory  of  heaven.  With  this 
before  our  mind  we  will  not  be  so  foolish  as 
to  imitate  the  guests  invited  to  the  banquet, 
of  whom  our  Lord  said  that  they  were  not 
worthy  of  it  because  they  did  not  appreciate 
the  goodness  of  the  host  who  invited  them. 
We  will  not  forfeit  the  heavenly  banquet  for 
some  worldly  consideration  or  some  passing 
pleasure. 

DIVISION  OF  GRACE 

How  many  kinds  of  grace  are  there  ? 
There  are  two  kinds  of  grace,  sanctifying  grace  and 
actual  grace. 

By  grace,  as  we  have  seen,  we  understand 
a  supernatural  gift  of  God  bestowed  on  us 
through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  for  our 
salvation.  Grace,  strictly  speakinsf,  is  only 
one,  as  God  who  gives  it  is  one,  and  as  Jesus 
who  merited  It  is  one,  but  we  give  it  different 
names  according  to  the  purpose  for  which  it 
is  given. 


42  NATURE  AND  DIVISION   OF  GRACE 

it  different  names  according  to  the  differ- 
ent purposes  for  which  it  is  given  to  us. 
Grace  is  given  us  to  work  out  our  salvation ; 
every  help  that  God  gives  us  for  this  pur- 
pose is  called  divine  grace.  These  helps  are 
especially  of  two  kinds ;  God  gives  us  grace 
■ '  either  to  be  £Ood  or  to  do  srood.  The  grace 
which  God  gives  us  to  make  us  good  and 
holy  in  His  eyes  is  called  sanctifying  grace. 
Sanctifying  grace  is  something  that  God 
puts  into  our  souls  to  remain  there,  and 
which  makes  them  holy  and  pleasing  to 
Him;  it  is  a  supernatural  beauty.  The 
grace  which  God  gives  us  to  perform  good 
actions,  to  do  good,  is  called  actual  grace. 
^$' /  r  Actual  grace  is  a  supernatural  help  which 
God  gives  us  to  turn  away  from  sin,  to 
pray  well,  to  repent  of  our  sins,  to  give 
alms,  to  perform  our  duties  properly,  etc. 
Actual  grace  does  not  remain  in  the  soul 
as  sanctifying  grace  does;  it  is  given  us 
to  help  us  perform  some  good  act;  hence 
with  the  performance  of  the  act  the  grace 


NATURE   AND   DIVISION   OF   GRACE  43 

also  passes   away.     Let  us  see  this  by  an 
example:  we  are  going  to  Mass  on  Sunday ^^^^i^^j- 
morning,  and  some  boy  meets  us  and  \x\^%^'&^^' 
to   induce   us   to   stay  away  from   Mass   in  -^ 
order  to  make  some  little  excursion  out  into 
the  woods.      Our   conscience   tells   us   that 
we  must   hear   Mass  on  Sunday,  that  it  is 
a  mortal  sin  to  neglect  to  go  to  Mass  on 
Sunday,  when  we  are  able  to  do  so.     On 
the   other  hand,  it  is  a  fine   morning,  and 
the  temptation  to  stay  from  Mass  and  take 
a    walk    instead    is    great.      The    voice    of 
conscience,  warning  us  not  to  sin,  is  from 
the   influence   of   the   grace   of    God;    God 
put  this  good  thought  into  our  minds  that 
we  might  resist  the  temptation  and  resolve    ^mj? 
to  go  to   Mass.     Once  we  have,  under  the      " 
influence   of   divine   grace,  made   the   good 
resolution,    and    have   by   the   help   of   this 
same  grace  carried   it  out,  the   good  work 
is  finished  and    there  is  no  more  need   of 
grace  for  this  particular  good  work.    Actual 
grace  was  necessary  for  the  performance  of 
the    good   work,   but   when    the   work   was 


44  NATURE   AND   DIVISION   OF   GRACE 

done    actual    grace    also    ceased.       Actual 

grace  is,  therefore,  as  you  understand  now, 

a  help  of  God  to  perform  some  good  act, 

whether  that  good  act   be  to   resist   temp- 

1  tation,  to  avoid  sin,  or  whether  it  be  some 

\positively  good  act,  such  as  to  hear  Mass, 

/to  say  our  morning  and  eveningprayers,  to 

Wy  grace  before  and  after^jneals,  to  make 

/a  good  confession,  to  forgive  some  one  who 

/has  injured  us,  etc.     Because  this  grace  is 

I  given  us  to  help  us  to  do  good    acts,  we 

Vcall  it  actual  grace. 

^^^^^^    ^^SancHfyinf^  S^race,  on  the  other   hand,  is 
'T^^T-      .  m%\mmiismmmmm\i  mmm 

'^^      given    us  not  to  do  good,  but  to  make  us 

'  -  *<^  S<a^^Ood  and  holy  in  the  sight  of  God.     It  is  a 

supernatural   gift   that   God   puts   into    our 

souls,  which  makes  them  pleasing  to  Him. 

Sanctifying   grace   remains  in  the  soul.     It 

changes  the  soul  into^  temple  of  the  Holy 

Ghost  and  makes  it  beautiful,  giving  it  a  new 

life,  the  life  of  the  love  of  God.     This  grace 

remains  in  the  soul  until  it  is  driven  out  by 

mortal  sin.    Sanctifying  grace  raises  us  above 

our  nature ;  it  makes  us  children  of  God,  and 


NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF  GRACE  45 

being  children  of  God  we  become  heirs  of 
heaven.  Sanctifyiii^  K^ace  makes  us  par- 
take  of  the  divine  nature  itself.  As  long  as  ^"w  ^ 
we  have  in  our  souls  sanctifying  grace,  so 
long  are  we  friends  of  God  and  certain 
of  the  possession  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
As  long  as  this  treasure  is  ours,  so  long  we 
possess  the  love  of  God ;  and  if  God  is  our 
friend  and  is  with  us,  whom  shall  we  fear.? 
Sanctifying  grace  is  the  greatest  gift  that 
God  can  give  us,  since  it  insures  us  the 
possession  of  God  Himself.  In  the  Holy 
Scriptures  this  grace  is  compared  to  a  gar- 
ment; just  as  a  beautiful  garment  is  used 
to  adorn  the  body  and  make  it  pleasing  in 
the  eyes  of  men,  so  sanctifying  grace  clothes 
and  adorns  the  soul,  giving  it  a  supernatural 
beauty  and  making  it  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of 
God.  "  I  will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,A  ^ 
and  my  soul  shall  be  joyful  in  my  God ;  for 
He  hath  clothed  me  with  the  garments  of 
salvation ;  with  the  robe  of  justice  He 
hath  covered  me,  as  a  bridegroom  decked 
with  a  crown  and  as  a  bride  adorned  with 


46  NATURE   AND  DIVISION  OF  GRACE 

jewels."  ^     As  long  as  we  have  this  grace  we 
yishall  remain  in  the  love  of  God ;  and  "  He 
'^that  abideth  in  charity,  abideth  in  God,  and 
God  in  him.     God  is  charity."  ^ 

Every  grace  is  a  supernatural  gift ;  both 
actual  and  sanctifying  grace  are  supernatural ; 
both  belong  to  the  order  of  salvation;  both 
come  from  God,  and  are  given  to  us  to  lead 
us  to  God.  They  differ  from  each  other  in 
this,  that  actual  grace  is  given  us  to  help  us 
to  do  good  and  avoid  evil,  whereas  sanctify- 
ing grace  is  given  us  that  it  may  remain  in 
the  soul  and  make  it  pleasing  to  God.  Actual 
grace  is  given  to  all  men,  saints  and  sinners,  to 
the  heathen  and  the  Christian ;  God  wishes  all 
men  to  be  saved,  and  gives  to  all  the  actual 
grace  necessary  to  enable  them  to  do  what 
is  required  for  salvation.  Sanctifying  grace 
is  possessed  only  by  the  children  of  God; 
only  they  who  are  baptized  and  free  from 
mortal  sin  have  this  special  gift  of  God's  love. 
Actual  grace  disposes  the  soul  for  the  recep- 
tion of  sanctifying  grace,  and  after  sanctify- 
1  Is.  6i.  10.  2  I  John  4.  i6. 


NATURE  AND   DIVISION   OF  GRACE  47 

ing  grace  has  been  received  in  the  soul 
actual  grace  continually  moves  man  to  know 
and  to  will  what  is  commanded  by  God  and 
what  is  pleasing  to  Him.  Both  actual  grace 
and  sanctifying  grace  are  necessary  for  us 
—  sanctifying  grace  that  we  become  chil- 
dren of  God,  actual  grace  that  we  live  as 
His  children^  loving  Him  and  serving  Him. 


#  • 


Ill 

NATURE  OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

WTiat  is  sanctifying  grace  ? 

Sanctifying  grace  is  that  grace  which  makes  the  soul 
holy  and  pleasing  to  God, 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  parables  which 
our  Lord  told  for  the  instruction  of  His 
hearers  was  that  of  the  heavenly  marriage- 
feast.     He  said :  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven 

is  likened  to  a  king  who  made  a  marriage  for 

\    *  '  "^ 

his  son.     And  he  sent  his  servants  to  call 
ifciTiiiiii  w^i&m 
them  that  were  mvited  to  the  marriage :  and 

they  would  not  come.     Again  he  sent  other 

servants,  saying,  Tell  them  that  were  invited, 

Behold,    I    have    prepared   my   dinner;   my 

beeves  and  fatlings  are  killed,  and  all  things 

are  ready;  come  ye  to   the  marriage.     But 

they   neglected    and  went   their   ways,  one 

to  his  farm,  and  another  to  his  merchandise. 

And  the  rest  laid  hands  on  his  servants,  and 

48 


NATURE   OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE  49 

having  treated  them  contumeliously,  put 
them  to  death.  But  when  the  king  had 
heard  of  it,  he  was  angry,  and  sending  his 
armies,  he  destroyed  those  murderers,  and 
burned  their  city.  Then  he  saith  to  his  ser- 
vants: The  marriage  indeed  is  ready;  but 
they  that  were  invited  were  not  worthy. 
Go  ye,  therefore,  into  the  highways,  and  as 
many  as  you  shall  find,  invite  to  the  mar- 
riage. And  his  servants  going  forth  into 
the  ways  gathered  together  all  that  they 
found,  both  bad  and  good ;  and  the  marriage 
was  filled  with  guests.  And  the  king  went 
in  to  see  the  guests ;  and  he  saw  there  a  man 
who  had  not  on  a  wedding  garment.  And 
he  said  to  him:  Friend,  how  camest  thou 
in  hither,  not  having  on  a  wedding  garment  ? 
But  he  was  silent.  Then  the  king  said  to 
the  waiters:  Bind  his  hands  and  feet,  and 
cast  him  into  the  exterior  darkness;  there 
shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
For  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen."  ^ 
We  can  interpret   this   parable    in   the  fol- 

^  Matt.  22.  2  segg. 


50  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

lowing  manner:  The  king  is  God,  the 
Father,  who  makes  a  marriage-feast  for  His 
Son.  Through  His  servants,  the  priests, 
He  invites  all  men  to  this  feast,  the  happi- 
ness of  heaven;  all  are  to  have  part  in  en- 
joying the  glory  of  the  Son  of  God.  This 
feast  takes  place  in  the  kingly  palace,  where 
everything  is  most  beautiful,  and  hence  the 
guests  are  to  come  clothed  in  an  especial 
wedding-garment.  This  garment  can  be 
obtained  by  every  one.  In  fact  in  the  East 
it  was  customary  that  such  a  garment  be 
sent  by  the  person  giving  the  feast  to  each 
of  the  invited  guests.  This  garment  is  to 
make  our  souls  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  God ; 
it  is  the  garment  of  sanctifying  grace. 
Without  this  garment  we  cannot  take  part 
in  the  pleasures  of  the  heavenly  banquet. 
He  who  comes  into  eternity  without  it  will 
not  be  admitted  into  heaven,  but  will  be  cast 
into  exterior  darkness,  where  there  is  weep- 
ing and  gnashing  of  teeth.  Such  a  one  must 
be  silent  when  God  asks  him,  Friend,  how 
did  you  come  hither,  not  having  on  a  wed- 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  51 

ding-garment?  He  cannot  excuse  himself 
on  the  plea  of  poverty  because  God  sent  him 
such  a  garment ;  and  if  he  does  not  wear  it, 
it  is  through  his  own  neglect.  He  knew  that 
such  a  garment  was  necessary ;  it  was  even 
sent  to  him ;  he  has  therefore  no  excuse  to 
offer.  Without  sanctifying  grace  we  cannot 
please  God;  we  cannot  enjoy  the  happiness 
of  heaven.  For  this  reason  the  instruction 
on  sanctifying  grace  is  most  important.  We 
should  try  to  learn  what  is  meant  when  we 
hear  the  words,  sanctifying  grace,  state  of 
grace,  justification,  etc. 

When  we  understand  what  a  precious  Xx 
gift  sanctifying  grace  is,  then  we  will  be 
more  anxious  to  preserve  it  in  our  hearts. 
Our  catechism  tells  us  that  sanctifying  grace 
is  that  grace  which  makes  the  soul  holy 
and  pleasing  to  God.  What  sanctifying 
grace  is  in  itself  is  difficult  to  explain,  but 
we  can  get  some  idea  of  it  by  considering 
its  orj^in  and  its  effgcts  upon  the  soul.  As 
to  its  origin^  it  is,  like  actual  grace,  a  free 
gift  of   God.     The  Holy  Ghost  distributes 


52  NATURE  OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

the  fruits  of  the  Redemption ;  He  is  the  dis- 
^  tributer  of  grace.     Actual  grace  is  also  a  gift 
.'  *,  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  sanctifying  grace  is 
•  [  a  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  an  especial  man- 
ner.     The    Holy    Ghost   is   the    Sanctifier, 
and   by   this  grace   we  are  made   holy,  and 
are  sanctified  in  the  eyes  of  God. 

Like  all  grace,  sanctifying  grace  is  a  super- 
natural gift  of  God.  God  did  not  create  us 
for  this  world,  that  we  should  live  here  and 
seek  our  happiness  on  this  earth;  for  the 
things  of  this  world  can  never  satisfy  the 
^desire  of  the  heart  of  man.  Our  end  lies 
beyond  this  life,  that  is,  we  are  made  for  a 
'supernatural  end.  God  has  made  us  for 
heaven;  the  vision  and  possession  of  God 
Himself  is  the  purpose  for  which  we  are 
created,  and  in  this  our  happiness  is  to  con- 
sist. To  reach  this  supernatural  end  our 
>^/  \  natural  powers  are  not  sufficient.  We  can- 
not  of  our  own  natural  strength  reach  that 
which  is  above  nature;  we  need  supernatural 
faculties  to  do  supernatural  works  worthy  of 
a  supernatural  reward.     These  supernatural 


J: 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  53 

faculties  are  given  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  sanctifying  grace,  which  makes  us  holy 
before  God  and  entitles  us  to  enter  a  super- 
natural community  of  life  with  God  and  the 
saints. 

How  does  the  Holy  Ghost  give  us  sanctify- 
ing grace?  He  gives  us  sanctifying  grace 
by  entering  our  souls  and  working  there  our 
sanctification ;  as  St.  Paul  says,  "  The  charity  ^ 
of  God  is  RgJi£gdforthJn  our  hearts,  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  is  given  to  us."  ^  By  sanc- 
tifying grace  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself  comes 
into  our  souls,  and  thus  we  enter  into  a 
most  close  union  with  God.  St.  Thomas 
^Aquinas  calls  grace  a  participation  of  the 
[divine  nature  on  the  part  of  man,  and  a  com^^ 
[munication  of  the  divine  nature  on  the  part; 
of  God.  This  is  well  founded  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  Our  Lord  said,  "  If  any  one  love 
Me,  he  will  keep  My  word,  and  My  Father 
will  love  him,  and  We  will  come  to  him  and 
will  make  Our  abode  with  him."^  There 
is  then,  according  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  a 

*  Rom.  5.  5.  2  John  14.  23. 


54  NATURE  OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE 

most  intimate  union  between  God  and  them 
that  love  Him  ;  God  dwells  in  them.  They 
are  no  longer  "  strangers  and  foreigners,  but 
fellow-citizens  and  domestics  of  God."  ^  The 
teaching  of  St.  Thojnas  that  grace  is  a  com- 

on  the  words  of  St.  Peter,  "  He  hath  given 
us  most  great  and  precious  promises  that  by 
these  we  may  be  made  partakers  of  the 
divine  nature."^ 

This  communication  of  the  divine  nature 
is  not  to  be  understood  as  though  God  gave 
man  a  part  of  His  being,  or  that  man  by 
grace  becomes  God.  The  sense  is  that  just 
as  God,  the  Father,  communicates  His 
nature  to  the  Son,  who  by  this  becomes  like 
i  the  Father  in  nature,  so  in  a  similar  manner 

;  He  turns  to  them  whom  He  loves,  and  makes 

i«* -, 

jthem   more    like    Himself    than    they   were 


(before  by    nature.     The    communication    of 

Mi  is   nature    to  the  Son  is  the  pattern,   the 

communication    of     His    nature    by   grace, 

the   imitation.      The    Son   is   the    same   as 

1  Eph.  2.  19.  2  2  Peter  i.  4. 


NATURE  OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  55 

the  Father  in  nature,  man  by  sanctifying 
grace  becomes  an  image  of  God.  We  are 
created  according  to  the  image  and  Hkeness 
of  God ;  by  grace  this  image  becomes  more 
exact  and  pronounced.  Out  of  love  for  His^.^ 
only  Son,  the  Father  turns  to  man  and 
makes  him  like  Himself,  calling  him  to 
eternal  happiness.  Through  grace  a  new- 
life,  which  is  supernatural,  is  implanted  in  ^a^^JI^ 
him;  this  gives  him  higher  powers.  ^T^f.  , 
reason  of  these  supernatural  faculties  which 
come  from  grace,  man  can  perform  acts 
which  are  supernatural,  which  make  him 
worthy  of  a  supernatural  reward,  and  raise 
him  to  a  communion  with  God.  By  the 
working  of  the  Holy  Ghost  man  is  raised 
above  nature. 

From  what  has  been  said  we  can  form 
some  idea  of  the  beauty  and  value  of  sane- 
tifying  grace.  It  is  a  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  that  not  an  ordinary  one,  but  a  super- 
natural gift  —  one  that  is  above  all  the  things 
of  nature  in  beauty  and  value.  It  is  given 
us  through  the  infinite  love  of  God,  in  order 


56  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE 

that  we  might  enter  into  the  closest  union 
with  Him.  It  is  a  most  beautiful  garment 
—  the  wedding-garment  which  makes  us 
worthy  of  the  heavenly  wedding-feast  of  the 
Son  of  God.  It  is  a  divine  power,  dwelling 
in  the  soul,  a  glowing  light  which  makes 
our  souls  so  beautiful,  that  if  it  were  given 
to  any  one  to  see  a  soul  adorned  with  sanc- 
tifying  grace,  he  would  bejgjjyjjgj|jgtg^ 
^  ?U-*'**4j-  that  soul  for^p(j|d,  Irjii^self.     Grace  makes  us  " 


like  God  as  much  as  a  creature  can  become 
like  Him.  Grace  is,  therefore,  of  immeas- 
urable value ;  the  least  degree  of  grace  is 
infinitely  more  precious  than  all  the  goods 
of  this  world.  If  we  possessed  the  whole 
world,  it  could  not  be  compared  with  the 
smallest  degree  of  grace  given  to  the  hum- 
blest Christian.     Sanctifying  grace  is  worth 

it  we  cannot  possess  God,  and  with  it  God 
is  ours.  Grace  is,  as  it  were,  the  document 
that  assures  us  of  His  possession,  and  gives 
us  a  right  to  the  inheritance  of  heaven. 
Even  if  some  one  could  come  into   heaven 


NATURE  OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE     57 

without   possessing   grace,    which  is   impos- 


sible, he  would  not  be  able  to  see  God  or 
enjoy  the  happiness  of  the  just,  because  he 
would  lack  the  supernatural  light  that  en- 
ables the  saints  to  see  God.  Like  the  man 
in  the  parable  of  the  wedding-feast,  he  would 
be  cast  out  into  exterior  darkness ;  darkness 
and  eternal  death  is  the  only  state  which  is 
fit  for  one  who,  through  his  own  fault,  has 
neglected  to  appear  before  God  clothed  in 
the  wedding-garment  of  sanctifying  grace. 
This  we  see  in  what  God  has  revealed  to  us 
of  the  history  of  the  angels. 

In  the  beginning  God  created  the  angels 
^  and  gave  them  sanctifying  grace  ;  they  were 
all  good  and  pleasing  to  God  when  they 
were  first  created ;  but  some  of  them  sinned, 
and  by  sin  lost  the  grace  God  had  given 
them.  They  were  cast  out  of  heaven  and 
hurled  into  hell  forever.  Having  lost  their 
wedding-garment,  they  were  no  longer 
worthy  to  enjoy  the  feast  of  heaven.  If  sor- 
row could  find  a  place  in  heaven,  then  we 
would  say  that  there  was  the  greatest  sorrow 


58  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

among  the  good  angels  at  the  terrible  lot  of 
these  unfaithful  ones ;  we  would  imagine  that 
they  looked  with  sadness  at  the  places  left 
vacant  by  the  punishment  of  their  fallen 
companions.  These  places  were,  however, 
not  always  to  remain  vacant ;  like  the  king 
in  the  parable,  God  wished  His  house  to  be 
full;  and  for  this  reason  He  decreed  to 
create  other  beings  to  take  the  place  of  these 
fallen  angels.  God  decided  to  make  man. 
\and  to  clothe  him  from  the  beginning  witH 
''sanctifying  grace.     First  He  formed  a  bodyj 


k 


rom  the  slime  of  the  earth,  then  He  breathed! 
I  into  it  an  immortal  soul,  which  was  endowed' 
V^ith  understanding  and  free  will.  At  thd, 
same  time  He  adorned  it  with  the  super- 
natural beauty  of  sanctifying  grace.  Man 
was  to  be  happy  forever ;  he  was  to  live  a 
short  time  here  upon  earth,  free  from  trouble, 
care,  and  sickness,  yes,  even  death  was  to  be 
unknown  to  him ;  then  he  was  to  be  taken 
into  eternal  happiness,  to  enjoy  for  eternity 
the  possession  of  God,  and  the  companion- 
ship  of  the   angels.     Because  God  created 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  59 

man  for  a  supernatural  end,  He  also  gave 
him  the  supernatural  powers  of  sanctifying 
grace,  that  he  might  be  enabled  to  know, 
love,  and  serve  God  in  a  supernatural  man- 
ner, and  so  merit  that  happiness  for  which 
he  was  created. 

God  wished  a  free  service;  He  did  not 
wish  to  force  man  to  remain  in  the  state  in 
which  He  had  created  hirn ;  man  was  to  de- 
cide for  himself  whether  he  would  remain 
in  the  state  of  grace  and  serve  God  or  not ; 
he  was  to  prove  his  worthiness  by  an  act  of 
obedience;  and  for  this  reason  God  gave 
him  free  will.  God  tried  man ;  He  gave 
him  a  commandment  not  to  eat  of  the  fruit 
of  a  certain  tree  in  the  garden  of  Paradise, 
lest  he  should  die.  Had  our  first  parents 
remained  faithful  to  the  command  of  God, 
they  would  have  remained  in  the  happy 
state  of  sanctifying  grace,  they  would,  after 
a  short  stay  upon  earth,  have  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  joys  of  heaven  without  first 
tasting  the  bitter  cup  of  death ;  mankind 
would  have  occupied  the  places  left  vacant 


6o  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

by  the  fall  of  the  angels.  Unfortunately, 
Adam  and  Eve  transgressed  the  command 
of  God,  and  ate  of  the  forbidden  fruit ;  they 
lost  sanctifying  grace  and  with  it  their  right 
to  eternal  happiness.  Just  as  they  were 
to  transmit  their  state  of  grace  and  the 
friendship  of  God  to  their  descendants,  so 
thev   transmitted   their   human   nature,    de- 


£  rived  of  grace  and  infected  with  sin  and 
^  mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 

its  consequences.  No  one  was  able  to  ob- 
tain heaven  and  be  saved;  all  should  have 
been  lost  forever,  had  not  God  shown  mercy 
to  man,  and  sent  him  a  Redeemer.  God, 
moved  by  pity,  promised  man  a  Redeemer 
who  would  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  world. 
This  Redeemer  was  the  only  Son  of  God, 
who  became  man  and  suffered  for  us.  He 
has  atoned  for  our  sins,  reconciled  us  with 
God,  opened  again  the  gates  of  heaven 
which  sin  had  closed.  By  His  death  He 
^'  blotted  out  the  handwriting  of  the  decree 
that  was  against  us,  .  .  .  fastening  it  to  the 
cross."  ^  As  His  death  has  been  our  life, 
1  Col.  2. 14. 


NATURE   OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE  6i 

"by  His  bruises  we  are  healed."^  When 
Jesus  died,  He  died  for  the  salvation  of 
all  men;  all  are  to  receive  the  benefit  of 
His  death.  That  this  might  be  brought 
.hnnf^   TjP   in.titntPH  ^  (^hiirrj.   in  w|.i^|.    |^^ 

Irft  tlir  ^^"^^"^""^^  ^^"^"  channels  of  grace 
through  which  grace  flows  to  men.  By  the 
Sacraments  the  benefits  of  the  Redemption 
are  given  to  us ;  they  are  the  means  insti- 
tuted to  reconcile  us  with  God.  This  is 
done  first  through  Baptism. 

What  are  the  effects  of  sanctifying  grace  1 
What  happens  in  the  soul  when  we  re- 
ceive the  grace  of  God  .f*  God  acts  on  the 
powers  of  the  soul  by  actual  grace,  but  by 
sanctifying  grace  He  produces  a  still  deeper 
effect.  He  acts  on  the  soul  itself.  He 
gives  the  soul  a  new  life  and  transforms  its 
jiature._  Before  man  receives  sanctifying 
grace  he  is  a  sinner ;  he  lacks  the  properties 
which  God  looks  for  in  one  who  is  His 
friend;  th^mag^^^Godisblurr^l^  This 
soul  now  receives  sanctifying  grace;  imme- 
^  Is.  53.  5. 


62  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

diately  a  great  change  takes  place;  sin  is 
destroyed,  everything  that  is  displeasing  to 
God  is  removed;  he  who  a  little  while  be- 
fore was  a  sinner  is  now  just,  ix.  he  is  as 
Adam  and  Eve  were  before  they  fell  into 
sin ;  he  is  now  an  object  of  God's  pleasure, 
a  friend  of  God.  By  grace  sin  is  remitted, 
and  man  from  a  sinner  becomes  a  friend  of 
God. 

The  remission  of  sin  is  not  the  only  effect 

of  sanctifying  grace  ;  its  effect  is  much  more 

far-reaching.      When  God  forbade  our  first 

parents  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  a  certain  tree 

in  the   Garden  of   Paradise,   He  said,   "  On 

Awhat  day  soever  thou  shalt  eat  of  it,  thou 

shalt    die    the    death."  ^      The    death    here 

.  spoken  of  is  a  twofold  death,  the  death  of 

*  the  body  by  the  separation  of  the  soul  from 

the  body,  and  the  death  of  the  soul.     They 

broke   the   commandment  of  God,  and  the 

punishment  followed ;  the  death  of  the  body 

did  not  come  at  once,  but  the  death  of  the 

soul  was  inflicted  immediately.     This  death 

^  Gen.  2.  17. 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE  63 

of  the  soul  consisted  in  the  loss  of  sanctify- 
ing grace  and  of  all  the  supernatural  gifts 
and  benefits  that  accompany  grace.  Sancti- 
fying grace  is  the  life  of  the  soul,  and  by  its 
loss  Adam  and  Eve  became  dead  in  thel 
sight  of  God;  they  lost  their  supernatural! 
life.  This  sin,  with  all  its  consequences,  hasl 
come  down  from  Adam  to  all  his  descen-j 
dants;  it  is  called  original  sin.  The  firsA 
effect  of  original  sin  is  the  loss  of  sanctify- 
ing  grace,  and  until  one  is  born  again  in 
Baptism  he  is  spiritually  dead ;  should  he 
die  in  this  state,  he  could  never  have  eternal 
life  in  heaven.  Through  the  operation  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  who  sanctifies  us  by  grace, 
received  in  Baptism,  we  are  brought  back  to 
life  again.  Thus  Baptism  is  a  second  birth, 
and  being  born,  this  time  of  God,  we  are 
the  children  of  God.  After  the  remission 
of  sin  the  chief  effect  of  sanctifying  grace 
is  to  make  us  children  of  God. 

A  child  has  certain  rights.     It  has  a  cer-/ 
tain  right   to  the  possessions  of   its  father, 
it   has  a  certain  right  to   be   his   heir.     If 


64  NATURE  OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

then,  in  Baptism  we  receive  grace  which 
makes  us  children  of  God,  we  receive  also 
the  right  to  the ^^^p£^J_^jo'^^A. pf  God.  God 
is  our  Father;  hence  we  have  a  right  to 
live  in  His  house,  to  enjoy  the  pleasures 
and  happiness  of  His  home.  We  become, 
through  sanctifying  grace,  heirs  of  heaven. 

^;^"  For  the  Spirit  Himself  giveth  testimony 
to  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  sons  of  God ; 
and  if  sons,  heirs  also ;  heirs  indeed  of  God 
and  joint-heirs  with  Christ;  yet^  so^^  we 
suffer  with  Him,  that  we  may  be  also  glori- 
fied with    Him."^    This  means  that   if   we 

v.^^  remain  true  to  God,  and  preserve  sanctify- 
ing grace  despite  all  the  sufferings,  temp- 
tations and  allurements  of  the  world,  then 
we  shall  also  possess  heaven  as  our  inheri- 
tance, then  we  shall  possess  God  and  all 
the  riches,  pleasures,  and  happiness  which 
belong  to  Him,  because  we  are  His  chil- 
dren.     Such  a   promise   is   certainly  worth 

y^our  best  endeavor,  for  "The  sufferings  of 
this    present    time    are    not   worthy    to    be 

*  Rom.  8.  i6,  17. 


NATURE  OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE  65 

compared  with  the  glory  to  come,  that  shall 
/  be  revealed  in  us."^  When  a  man  receives 
sanctifying  grace,  there  is  no  change  out- 
wardly visible  to  the  eye,  the  change  is  all 
within ;  but  in  eternity  we  shall  see  the 
beauty  of  the  soul  in  sanctifying  grace; 
then  its  beauty  and  glory  shall  be  revealed. 
With  the  eye  of  faith  we  can  see,  even' 
now,  the  excellence  of  grace;  through  faith 
we  understand  the  greatness  of  the  effects 
produced:  it  makes  us  just  before  God,  i.e, 
our  sins  are  blotted  out;  it  makes  us  chil- 
dren of  God  and  heirs  of  heaven.  By  grace 
we  are  preserved  from  eternal  punishment 
which  was  our  due  —  instead  of  eternal  pun- 
ishment eternal  happiness  awaits  us.  This 
change  is  worthy  of  our  admiration  and 
gratitude.  Who  can  appreciate  sufficiently 
the  value  of  this  gift,  since  it  makes  us 
worthy  to  call  God  our  Father.?  It  is,  in- 
deed, above  every  other  gift,  and  God  gives 
it  to  us,  not  because  we  have  deserved  it, 
but  out  of  pure  mercy  and  love. 

1  Rom.  8.  i8. 


66  NATURE  OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

Sanctifying  grace  is  a  gift  of  love  —  it  is 
not  earned  by  anything  that  we  have  done. 
God,  seeing  our  miserable  condition,  was 
moved  by  mercy,  and  gave  us  the  aid  of 
His  grace  that  we  might  be  enabled  to  do 
good  and  merit  heaven  as  a  reward,  and 
so  be  eternally  happy.  If  God  had  not 
taken  pity  on  us,  we  should  have  perished 
y^  forever.  "  But  when  the  goodness  and  kind- 
ness of  God  our  Saviour  appeared,  not  by 
the  works  of  justice  which  we  have  done, 
but  according  to  His  mercy  He  saved  us, 
by  the  laver  of  regeneration  and  renovation 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  He  hath  poured 
forth  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Saviour,  that  being  justified  by  His  grace, 
we  may  be  heirs,  according  to  hope,  of  life 
everlasting." 

When  did  we  receive  sanctifying  grace? 
Was  it  not  when  we  were  small,  and  unable 
to  do  anything  good  or  bad,  that  we  were 
baptized  and  cleansed  from  original  sin,  and 
so  from  sinners  were  made  sons  of  God? 
1  Titus  3.  4-7. 


NATURE  OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE  67 

The  sinner,  too,  who,  being   baptized   and 
having  lost  sanctifying  grace  by  mortal  sin, 
is  again  reinstated  in  grace  and  the  friend- 
ship of  God  at  a  time,  when,  on  account  of 
the  state  of   sin  in  which  he  is,  he  cannot 
do  anything  to  please  God.     Grace  is  there- 
fore evidently  an  undeserved  gift   of    God. 
There  are   many  children   born   in   distant 
countries,  where  paganism  still  reigns ;  these 
do  not  receive  the  gift  of  Baptism  with  the 
benefits    attached    to    it.      Why    were    wej(x 
chosen?     There   can    be    no    other    reason 
than  the  free  will  of  God,  who  had  mercy 
on  us.     "  It  is  not  of  him  that  willeth,  nor  of  a^ 
him  that  runneth,  but  of  God  that  showeth 
mercy.  .  .  .     Therefore  He  hath  mercy  on 
whom  He  will."  ^    On  some  of  the  islands  ot 
the  South  Sea  there  are  now  many  good,\^ 
believing   Catholics:    when   the    first    Cath-J^ 
olic    missionaries    arrived    in    those    places^ 
they   were    persecuted    and    put    to    death. 
Did  tliese  people  deserve  the  gift   of  faith 
and   grace  ?     Certainly   not ;    they   oppose(^ 

1  Rom.  9.  16-18. 


08  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

the  mercy  of  God  calling  them  to  grace, 
and  yet  finally  they  received  the  gift  of 
faith,  and  were  baptized.  It  was  the  love  of 
God  that  was  the  cause  of  all  this ;  of  them- 
selves they  had  deserved  the  very  opposite. 
When  we  say  that  sanctifying  grace  is  an 
undeserved  gift  we  mean  to  say  that   it   is 

at  undeserved  on  our  part;  we  do  not  say 
that  it  has  not  been  deserved  at  all.  Jesus 
died  to  obtain  grace  for  us.  God  gives  us 
grace    on    account    of    the    superabundant 

1  merits  of  Christ.  "Justified  freely  by  His 
grace,  through  the  Redemption  that  is  in 
Christ  Jesus."  ^  Justification  does  not  come 
to  us  through  our  own  merits;  it  is  gratis; 
it  comes  to  us  through  the  Redemption  of 
Christ. 

Since  we  have  received  this  grace  in  Bap- 
tism without  any  merits  of  our  own,  purely 
through  the  kindness  and  mercy  of  God,  we 

Y.  should  show  our  gratitude  to  God  for  the 
love  He  has  shown  to  us  by  looking  upon 
grace  as  the  most  valuable  gift  that  we  can 

1  Rom.  3.  24. 


NATURE  OF  SANCTIFYING  GRACE     69 

possess.  We  should  be  anxious  to  preserve 
it  and  to  have  it  ever  in  our  hearts.  Sanctify- 
ing grace  differs  from  actual  grace  in  this,\ 
that,  whereas  actual  grace  is  only  a  passing 
gift,  sanctifying  grace  remains  in  our  soul 
until  it  is  driven  out  by  mortal  sin.  For  this 
reason  it  is  also  called  habitual  grace.  v.^ 

Sanctifying  grace  is  called  £race  of  justi- 
fication or  simply /j^^/y^j^g?^.  The  Apostle 
says  of  Baptism  by  which  we  receive  sancti- 
fying grace:  "But  you  are  washed,  but  you^|/ 
are  sanctified,  but  you  are  justified,  in  the 
name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
Spirit  of  our  God."  ^  What  do  we  mean  by 
justification  ?  A  boy  goes  into  an  orchard 
and  takes  some  apples.  The  orchard  does 
not  belong  to  his  parents,  and  hence  he  is 
accused  of  stealing.  He  excuses  himself 
by  saying  that  the  orchard  belongs  to  his 
uncle,  who  told  him  that  he  might  take  all 
the  apples  he  wished.  If  this  story  is  true, 
is  the  boy  deserving  of  punishment  for  tak- 
ing the  apples?     Evidently  not;  he  proved 

1 1  Cor.  6.  11. 


70  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE 

that  what  he  did  was  not  wrong ;  he  justified 

»  himself.     To  justify  one's  self  means,  then,  to 

»^  clear  one's  self  of  the  accusation  of  having 

*  done  wrong.  When  our  first  parents  sinned, 
God  came  to  them  and  showed  them  their 
sin.  They  tried  to  justify  themselves ;  Adam 
put  the  blame  on  Eve,  and  she  blamed  the  ser- 
pent—  but  they  could  not  justify  themselves 
because  they  had  only  idle  excuses  to  give. 
God  punished  them  for  their  sin,  but  taking 
pity  on  them  He  promised  to  send  them  a 
Redeemer,  who  was  to  take  away  their  sin 
and  regain  grace  for  them ;  He  was  to  make 
good  the  harm  done ;  He  was  to  justify  them. 
To  justify  can,  therefore,  also  mean  to  make 
good  a  wrong.  Justification  does  away  with 
sin  and  makes  good  the  harm  done  by  sin ; 
it  restores  us  to  the  state  of  friendship 
with  God,  from  which  we  fell  through  sin. 
Because  by  sanctifying  grace  sin  is  destroyed 
and  man  is  made  holy  and  just,  it  is  called 
justifying  grace. 

•  f  Justificatio7i     includes    two    things  —  the 
*  •  Vleansing  from  sin  and  interior  sanctifica- 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  71 

tion.  Hence  the  Apostle  says,  "  You  are 
washed,"  ix,  you  are  freed  from  sins,  "  You  are 
sanctified,"  ix.  you  have  been  made  holy  and 
pleasing  to  God,  you  have  been  born  again, 
"  You  are  justified,"  ix.  freed  from  sin  and 
sanctified.  To  be  "  justified  in  the  name  of 
our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,"  signifies  that,  through 
the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  receive  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins,  and  are  made  holy  and  just 
in  the  eyes  of  God.  "  Justified  in  the  Spirit 
of  our  God,"  means  that  we  receive  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins  and  interior  sanctity  from 
the  Holy  Ghost,  because  to  Him,  as  the  love 
of  the  Father,  is  ascribed  sanctification. 

The  teaching  of  the  Catholic  Church  on 
justification  is,  as  we  have  seen,  that  by 
sanctifying  grace  the  sinner  is  placed  in  a 
state  of  interior  supernatural  sanctity.  By 
justification  we  mean  that  the  soul  is  freed 
from  sin,  reborn  to  a  new  life,  and  renewed ; 
that  it  is  made  holy  and  pleasing  in  the 
eyes  of  God.  The  heretics  of  the  sixteenth 
century  said  that  justification  was  not  a 
remission  of  sins,  but  ^QJj^ifjg^Jiiflto  ^  ^ 


72  NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE 

ing  them  up ;  that  God,  on  account  of  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  did  not  punish  our 
sins,  if  we  believed  in  the  Redemption  of 
Christ.  According  to  them  the  sins  are  not 
fore^iven,  but  only  overlooked ;  they  are  still 
in  the  soul,  but  on  account  of  the  merits  of 
Jesus  we  are  not  punished  for  them.  If  this 
were  true,  there  would  be  no  real  justification, 
there  would  be  no  raising  of  the  sinner  to 
a  supernatural  life,  the  soul  would  not  be 
really  healed  of  its  infirmities.  But  we  know 
from  Sacred  Scripture  that  "  by  His  bruises 
we  have  beenhealed."  ^  St.  Paul  teaches  the 
Christians,  "  You  have  been  washed,  you 
have  been  sanctified,"  and  again,  "  We  were 
by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  even  as  the 
rest ;  but  God  (who  is  rich  in  mercy),  for 
His  exceeding  charity  wherewith  He  loved 
us,  even  when  we  were  dead  in  sin,  hath  quick- 
ened us  together  in  Christ  (by  whose  grace 
you  are  saved),  and  hath  raised  us  up  t(> 
gether ;  and  hath  made  us  sit  together  in  the 
heavenly    places,    through    Christ    Jesus 

^  Is.  53-  5.  ^  Eph.  2.  3  seqq. 


"2 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  n 

Here  the  Apostle  clearly  teaches  that  justifi- 
cation consists  in  raising  the  spiritually  dead 
to  life,   that  it  consists   in   transferringr  the 

■gMWWiMillli'r'lT'  ^ 


sinner  from  a  state  of  wrath  to  a  state  of 
the  love  of  God,  that  it  is  a  uniting  of  him 
who  was  a  sinner  with  Jesus,  and  making 
him  worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  This 
is  evidently  a  good  deal  more  than  merely 
covering  over  sin,  and  not  punishing  sin, 
which  still  remains  in  the  soul. 

Sanctifying  grace  is  often  compared  to  a 
JLj^MiyLmgM^^  ^^'^'^  the  expression  that  our 
first  parents  were  created,  clothed  with  the 
garments   of   sanctifying  grace  —  or  that  in 
Baptism  we   receive   the  garment  of   inno- 
cence.    To  indicate    this   the   priest  lays   a 
white  garment  on   the  child  when  he  bap- 
tizes.    This  is  a  figure  of   speech ;  it   does  ^ 
not  mean  that  the  soul  is  only  clothed  ex- «  * 
ternally  with  innocence,  and  that  inwardly 
the  sin  might  still  remain ;  no,  it  means  that 
just  as  a  white  garment  is  an  ornament  which 
makes  the  body  beautiful,  so  the  soul  is  made  ^ 
beautiful  by  grace,  that  by  grace  the  soul  is  \  \ 


74  NATURE  OF   SANCTIFYING  GRACE 

adorned  as  the  bride  of  Jesus  Christ.  There 
can  be  no  covering  up  of  inward  ugliness, 
so  that  the  all-seeing  eye  of  God  should  not 
see  it.  That  a  soul  be  beautiful  in  the  eyes 
of  God,  it  must  be  all  beautiful,  not  merely 
dressed  in  a  beautiful  garment. 

ae  will,  then,  believe  with  the  Catholic 
-^  Church  that  by  sanctifying  grace  man  is 
really  sanctified  and  justified,  z.e.  that  by 
sanctifying  grace  sin  is  truly  blotted  out,  and 
that  the  soul  is  interiorly  sanctified,  so  that 
y^"  there  is  now,  therefore,  no  condemnation  to 
them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not 
according  to  the  flesh."  ^  Through  sancti- 
1  fying  grace  they  have  been  "  renewed  in 
the  spirit  of  their  mind,  and  put  on  the  new 
man,  who  according  to  God  is  created  in 
justice  and  holiness  of  truth."  ^  Born  of  God 
they  are  the  children  of  God  and  heirs  of 
the  heavenly  kingdom.  ^^  Behold  what  man- 
ner of  charity  the  Father  hath  bestowed  on 
us,  that  we  should  be  called  and  should  be  the 
sons  of  God.     Therefore  the  world  knoweth 


1  Rom.  8.  I.  2  Eph.  4.  23. 


NATURE   OF   SANCTIFYING   GRACE  75 

not  US,  because  it  knew  not  Him.  "  Dearly 
beloved,  we  are  now  the  sons  of  God,  and  it 
hath  not  yet  appeared  what  we  shall  be. 
We  know  that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we 
shall  be  like  to  Him,  because  we  shall  see 
Him  as  He  is." 

^  I  John  3.  I. 


IV 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

Before  tne  *^in  "of  our  first  parents  the 
most  perfec^rfer  existed  in  the  world ;  in 
nature  one  thing  was  subject  to  the  other, 
one  order  of  beings  to  the  other,  and  all  lower 
nature  was  subject  to  man,  who  was  the  lord 
of  creation.  In  man  himself  the  same  per- 
fect order  existed:  the  lower  faculties  were 
subject  to  the  higher.  All  creation  with 
man  at  its  head  was  subject  to  God,  the 
Maker  of  all  things,  but  when  sin  came 
all  this  was  changed;  sin  brought  disorder. 
The  disorder  caused  by  sin  is  especially  seen 
in  the  human  soul:  the  imag^e  of  the  Creator 
is  not  as  clear  as  it  was  when  the  soul  was 
created ;  sin  has  blurred  it.  This  sad  con- 
dition of  the  soul  must  not  last,  the  soul  in 
that  condition  cannot  be  pleasing   to   God, 

76 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  77 

the  former  happy  relation  with  its  Maker 
must  be  reestabhshed.  The  soul  must  be 
justified.  To  obtain  justification  and  to  re- 
tain it  is  the  most  necessary  and  most 
important  task  of  man  in  this  life;  it  is  his 
life's  work. 

How  can  mcni  obtain  justification?  No 
one  can  be  justified  except  through  grace 
obtained  through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ. 
This  we  have  already  seen,  but  the  question 
still  remains,  How  are  the  merits  of  Christ 
applied  to  our  soul  that  we  may  be  justi- 
fied through  them?  Before  the  institution 
of  the  Old  Law  men  were  justified  by  the 
belief  and  hope  in  the  promised  Redeemer, 
joined  to  a  good  life.  In  the  Old  Law  the 
Israelites  were  justified  through  their  belief 
and  hope  in  the  Redeemer  to  come,  and  by 
the  observance  of  the  Law  of  God  and  the 
reception  of  the  Old  Testament  sacraments.  • 
The  children  who  had  not  yet  obtained  the  ** 
use  of  reason  must  have  been  justified  by 
belonging  to  the  chosen  people  of  God  with- 
out any  act  on  their  part. 


78  HOW  JUSTIFICATION  IS  OBTAINED 

In  the  New  Law   children   are  justified 

by  Baptism  without  any  act  of  their  own. 

They  are  baptized  in  the  faith  of  the  Church. 

Their  duties  as  regards  Baptism  begin  when 

they  receive  the  use  of  their  reason,  and  so 

become  able  to  do  good.     With  grown  per- 

/sons   it  is  quite  different.     Grace   does  the 

I  greater  part  in  the  work  of  justification,  but 

\  man  must  also  do  his  part ;  he  must  cooper- 

f  ate  with  the  grace  of  God.     GrodL,ai:\d  ,ma,n 

iwork  together,  and  so  the  work  of  justifica- 

Aion  is  performed.     Let  us  now  briefly  con- 

/  sider    how    this    work    of    sanctification    is 

I  brought  about. 

^    The  work  of  Justification  is  be^un  by_Qpd.^ 


He  gives  man  the  gratuitous  gift  of  prevent- 
ing grace,  which  is  no  other  than  actual 
grace.  Actual  grace  has  various  names; 
when  it  is  given  to  us  to  begin  a  good  work 
it  is  called  preventi^ig  grace^  that  is,  grace 
that  goes  before  the  good  work,  for  this  is 
the  meaning  of  "  preventing,"  from  the  Latin 
word  "  praevenire,"  to  go  before;  when  it  is 
given  us  to  help  us  perform  a  good  work 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  79 

already  begun,  it  is  called  concomitant  grace 
or  accompanying  grace  ;  and  when  it  is  given 
to  help  us  complete  a  good  work,  it  is  called 
\subsequent   or   following  grace.      We   need 
God's   help    tobegin,  coq^mue,  and   finistf 
Jbvery    good    and    salutary   work;    we   neea 
Uherefore   for   every  good  work    God's  preV;^ 
venting,  concomitant,  and  subsequent  grace. 
The  work  of  justification,  which  is  the  great- 
est of  all,  must  therefore  be  begun  by  the^ 
race  of  God.     God  so  acts  on  our  intellect^ 
d  free  will  that,  through  the  light  of  His; 
ctual  grace  we  recognize  our  helpless  con-] 
ition,  and  so  moves  our  will  that  we  turn  to 
im  and  seek  help  from  Him.  V* 

TMs  merciful  action  of  God  on  the  under- 
standing and  will  of  man  is  often  joined  to 
some  external  event.  Let  us  see  an  example. 
We  read  in  the  life  of  St.  Norbert^  that  in 
his  youth  he  had  been  very  careless,  that  he 
had  fallen  in  with  bad  companions,  and  was 
on  the  broad  road  that  leads  to  perdition. 
One  day  as  he  was  riding  on  horseback  to 

1  Bollandists',  Acta  Sand.  Junii  6. 


8o  HOW   JUSTIFICATION  IS  OBTAINED 

meet  some  of  these  bad  companions,  the 
lightning  struck  the  ground  before  his  horse, 
and  he  heard  a  voice  upbraiding  him  for  his 
bad  Hfe.  Norbert,  like  St.  Paul,  asked,  "  Lord, 
what  wilt  Thou  have  me  do  ?  "  ^  And  he  re- 
ceived the  answer  to  leave  sin  and  to  do 
good.  From  that  day  on  Norbert  was  a 
changed  man.  He  left  his  evil  companions, 
became  a  priest,  and  converted  many  sinners 
and  heretics  to  Christ.  He  also  founded  the 
order  of  the  Praemonstratensians.  In  this 
way  God  dealt  with  this  young  man,  and 
called  him  by  His  grace  to  become  one  of  His 
most  faithful  servants.  The  internal  grace, 
which  God  gave  Norbert  to  see  his  deplor- 
able condition  and  to  move  him  to  repent- 
ance, was  joined  to  some  external  sign,  —  a 
stroke  of  lightning.  Had  God  not  given 
him  His  grace,  Norbert,  instead  of  becom- 
ing a  saint  and  leading  a  great  multitude  of 
people  to  God,  would  have  been  lost  him- 
self, and  in  all  probability  would  have  been 
the  cause  of  the  damnation  of  many  others. 
^  Acts  9.  6. 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION  IS  OBTAINED  8l 

At  times  the  grace  of  conversion  is 
occasioned  by  the  hearing  of  the  word 
of  God,  the  advice  of  a  friend,  or  some  other 
external  means,  to  turn  the  mind  and  heart 
to  God.  These  external  things  only  accom- 
pany the  grace  of  God ;  grace  itself  is  inter- 
nal ;  it  is  an  illumination  of  the  mind  and  a 
moving  of  the  heart.  It  is  not  necessary 
that  it  should  always  be  joined  to  something 
external,  and,  in  fact,  the  ordinary  way  in 
which  God  calls  the  sinner  is  not  through 
these  extraordinary  outer  helps.  How  often 
it  happens  that  the  thought  comes  to  one, 
What  would  become  of  me  if  I  should  die 
now  ?  I  know  that  I  am  in  great  danger  of 
being  lost  forever  if  I  remain  in  sin.  I  will 
make  all  things  right;  I  will  go  to  confes- 
sion. These  thoughts  are  from  the  grace 
of  God,  which  is  calling  the  sinner  to  re- 
pentance ;  they  are  the  effect  of  the  prevent- 
ing grace  of  God. 

God  is  "  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning 
and  the  end."^     From  Him  the  beginning 

1  Apoc.  I.  8. 


82  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

of  justification  must  come.  He  makes  that 
beginning,  for  every  one  receives  sufficient 
grace  to  be  saved.  He  loved  us  first, 
and  even  while  we  are  sinners  He  loves 
us  and  seeks  us;  He  wishes  to  bring 
us  back  to  Him;  He  goes  out  to  seek 
the  sheep  that  was  lost;  He  calls  us  to 
repentance.  God  gives  every  sinner  His 
grace,  but  the  sinner  cannot  be  idle;  he, 
too,  must  do  something ;  he  must  accept  the 
grace  of  God  and  cooperate  with  it.  How 
must  man  cooperate  with  the  grace  of  God  ? 
He  must  believe  in  God,  hope  in  Him,  and 
begin  to  love  him  as  the  fountain  of  all 
justice,  receive  the  sacrament  of  Baptism, 
or,  if  he  be  already  baptized,  the  sacrament 
of  Penance}  We  will  first  consider  justifi- 
cation through  the  sacrament  of  Baptism. 
Children  receive  sanctifying  grace  without 
any  act  of  their  own,  as  we  have  already 
mentioned ;  the  question  is,  therefore,  en- 
tirely concerning  those  that  have  the  use 
of    reason.     Of    these   St.   Augustine  says, 

1  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  6,  c.  6. 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  83 

"  He  who  has  created  thee  without  thee, 
will  not  justify  thee  without  thee."^ 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that  without  the 
grace  of  God  we  can  do  nothing  for  our 
salvation,  and  that  if  certain  acts  are  re- 
quired by  which  we  dispose  ourselves 
for  justification,  eveji  in  these  acts  we  are 
dependent  on  the  grace  of  God.  God  it  is 
who  worketh  in  us  the  willing  and  the  doing 
of  every  good  work.  The  grace  of  God 
must  move  us  to  every  good  work,  and  must 
assist  us  in  the  doing  of  it. 

With  the  grace  of  God,  therefore,  the 
sinner  must  believe,  hope,  and  begin  to  love 
God  and  repent  of  his  sins.  By  faith,  hope, 
and  love  or  charity,  as  a  preparation  for  Bap- 
tism, are  not  understood  the  divine  virtues 
of  faith,  hope,  and  charity ;  these  are  only 
infused  into  the  soul  of  man  through  Bap- 
tism ;  but  they  are  acts  performed  under 
the  influence  of  actual  grace.  An  example 
of  how  men  must  prepare  themselves  for 
Baptism  we  have  in  the  manner  in  which 
^  Serm.  15,  de  Verb*  Apost,  c.  ii. 


84  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

the  people  of  Jerusalem  received  the  first 
sermon  of  St.  Peter/  and  were  converted  by 
it  God  made  the  beginning  by  enlighten- 
ing them  through  the  words  of  St.  Peter 
and  by  the  internal  light  of  His  grace 
which  He  gave  them.  What  did  they  do  on 
their  part  ?  They  believed  the  words  of  the 
Apostle;  they  believed  that  Jesus,  whom 
they  had  put  to  death,  was  the  promised 
Messias.  In  their  hearts  arose  the  desire 
that  the  promises  made  by  God,  through 
the  prophets,  might  be  fulfilled  in  them,  that 
is,  they  hoped  for  supernatural  benefits.  By 
asking,  "  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  they  expressed 
their  willingness  to  do  the  will  of  God,  that  is, 
they  began  to  love  God.  "  If  thou  wilt  enter 
into  life,  keep  the  commandments."^  We 
read  further  that  three  thousand  were  bap- 
tized and  did  penance.  To  do  penance 
means  to  be  sorry  for  one's  sins,  to  propose 
not  to  sin  any  more,  to  lead  a  good  life,  and 
to  make  satisfaction  for  the  sins  committed. 
T/ie  necessity  of  these  acts  of  faith,  hope, 
*  Acts.  2.  2  jviatt.  19.  17. 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION  IS  OBTAINED  85 

love^  and  repentance  we  learn  from  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Catholic  Church.  As  regards 
faith  our  Lord  teaches  us  its  necessity  in  the 
instruction  He  gave  His  apostles:  "Go  ye^ 
into  the  whole  world  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  condemned."^  Our  Lord  says 
that  we  must  first  believe  and  then  be  bap- 
tized; he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  con- 
demned, even  if  he  be  baptized.  This  belief 
must  be  from  the  heart;  the  mere  outward 
profession  is  not  sufficient.  This  we  see 
from  the  example  of  the  eunuch  of  the 
Queen  of  Ethiopia  whom  St.  Philip  in- 
structed. After  he  had  been  instructed  he 
said  to  Philip,  "See,  here  is  water,  what 
doth  hinder  me  from  being  baptized  1  And 
Philip  said,  If  thou  believest  with  all  thy^  ^ 
heart  thou  mayest."^  After  the  eunuch  had  *»• 
answered  that  he  believed  that  Jesus  is 
the  Son  of  God,  Philip  baptized  him.  Faith 
is,  therefore,  the  first  requisite  for  justifica- 

1  Mark  16.  16.  2  Acts  8.  36,  37. 


86  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

tion;    it   is   the   ground   and   root   of  justi- 
fication. 

Hope  in  God  must  be  joined  to  faith  in 
Him.  That  the  sinner  be  justified  he  must 
beHeve  and  hope  in  God.  Faith  is  the  foun- 
dation of  hope.  If  we  beHeve  in  God  and 
therefore  believe  His  promises,  we  naturally 
hope  to  receive  that  which  He  has  promised. 
If  we  believe  that  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 
died  on  the  cross  to  save  us  from  sin,  to 
make  us  children  of  God  and  heirs  of  heaven, 
we  will  naturally  hope  to  benefit  by  this 
mercy  of  God  if  we  do  what  He  demands 
of  us.  He  who  wishes  to  be  justified  must 
therefore  believe  in  God,  he  must  believe  in 
Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  he  must  believe  that 
Jesus  redeemed  us  by  His  death  on  the 
cross,  and  that  God  will  pardon  his  sins  on 
account  of  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ;  he 
must  believe  that  God  will  give  him  grace 
to  live  a  good  life  and  merit  the  eternal 
happiness  of  heaven.  With  belief  must  be 
joined  the  hope  of  obtaining  heaven  through 
the  grace  given  him  by  the  merits  of  his 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  87 

Redeemer.  Faith  without  hope  is  nothing. 
Of  what  use  is  it  to  me  to  believe  that  Jesu^ 
died  for  me  if  I  do  not  hope  to  be  saved 
through  His  death  ?^  It  is  precisely  hope\ 
that  lifts  us  up  to  God  and  gives  us  strength/ 
to  do  His  will  and  obey  His  commandments^ 

Besides  faith  and  hope  a  beginning  of  the  ,^ 
love  of  God  is  also  necessary.  We  say  a 
beginning  of  love,  because  the  fulness  of  the 
love  of  God  belongs  to  those  that  are  already 
sanctified  by  grace.  Justification  is  nothing 
but  the  passing  from  the  state  of  enmity  to 
that  of  the  love  of  God.  He  who  wishes 
to  be  justified  must  long  to  be  holy  and  to 
be  a  child  of  God.  This  longing  is  noth- 
ing but  the  beginning  of  the  love  of  God. 
Love  has  various  degrees,  the  first  of  which 
is  the  keeping  of  the  commandments  of 
God.  "Who  keeps  My  commandments,y^ 
he  it  is  that  loves  Me,"  says  our  Lord. 
The  beginning  of  the  love  of  God  is,  there- 
fore, the  firm  purpose  to  avoid  sin  and  to 
do  the  will  of  God. 

One  that  really  loves  God,  or  at  least  is 


88  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

beginning  to  love  Him  truly,  will  necessa- 
rily detest  sin  and  wish  to  sin  no  more.  This, 
too,  then,  is  necessary  for  justification  —  that 
we  repent  of  our  sins.  The  Church  has 
always  taught  that  it  is  necessary  for  justi- 
fication that  the  sinner  do  something  on 
his  part  and  that  faith  alone  is  not  suffi- 
cient; but  that  besides  faith  he  must  have 
hope,  the  beginning  of  love,  and  repentance 
for  his  sins.  When  any  one  wished  to  be 
admitted  to  the  communion  of  the  Church 
it  was  always  the  practice  that  for  some 
time  before  Baptism  such  a  person  was 
instructed  in  the  teaching  of  the  Church, 
that  he  had  to  practice  faith  by  hearing  the 
word  of  God,  that  he  had  to  practice  hope 
by  prayer,  and  love  by  the  keeping  of  the 
commandments  of  God.  That  any  one  that 
had  the  use  of  reason  should  be  admitted  to 
Baptism  without  faith,  hope,  love,  and  re- 
pentance for  sins  committed,  was  unknown 
in  the  Church.  Those  that  were  preparing 
for  Baptism  were  called  catechumens.  It  is  to 
the  catechumens  that  St.  Cyril  of  Jerusalem 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  89 

addresses  the  following  admonition :  "  Pre- 
pare thy  heart  for  the  reception  of  the 
doctrine  and  the  sacred  mysteries.  Pray' 
frequently  that'  God  may  make  thee  worthy 
of  the  celestial  and  eternal  mysteries.  Nei- 
ther by  day  nor  by  night  cease  from  prayer^ . 
and  as  soon  as  sleep  has  gone  from  thine 
eyes  let  the  spirit  be  given  to  prayer.  As 
soon  as  thou  perceivest  an  improper  thought 
to  arise  in  thy  soul,  have  recourse  to  the 
memory  of  the  judgment.  Keep  thy  spirit 
to  study,  and  thou  shalt  escape  thoughts  that 
are  unwholesome.  Keep  thy  soul  from  the 
snares  of  the  devil  and  secure  in  hope,  and 
thou  shalt  be  an  heir  of  heaven."  In  this 
and  like  manner  did  St.  Cyril  instruct  his 
catechumens  for  forty  days  before  he  ad- 
mitted them  to  Baptism.  He  would  nevei^ 
have  done  this  if  he  had  thought  that  nothing 
but  faith  was  required  for  Baptism.  On  the 
contrary,  it  was  always  the  persuasion  of  the 
Fathers  that  a  thorough  preparation  was 
necessary,  in  order  that  one  might  be  raised 
from  a  state  of  enmity  to  that  of  friendship 


90  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

with  God ;  to  make  one  who  had  been  a  sin- 
ner a  child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  the  hap- 
piness of  heaven.  The  Church  never 
believed  that  one  in  whom  so  great  a  change 
was  to  take  place  could  be  entirely  passive 
and  do  nothing  on  his  part.  Man  has  un- 
derstanding and  free  will ;  he  must  exercise 
these  faculties  in  the  work  of  justification 
—  the  understanding  by  subjecting  it  to  the 
yoke  of  faith,  the  will  by  turning  from  evil 
and  seeking  God. 

This    same    method   is   followed    to-day. 

When   a   person   comes  to   the  priest,  and 

makes  known  his   intention  of  becoming  a 

Catholic,   the   priest   does   not   immediately 

proceed  to  baptize  such  a  one,  but  he  first 

leads  him  to  believe,  and  for  this  reason  he 

/^instructs  him  in  the  Catholic  religion ;  hope 

\  is    excited     by    the     practice    of    frequent 

J  prayer;  finally  the  convert  must  avoid  sin, 

\and  make  frequent  acts  of  contrition.     Just 

/before   Baptism  the   person   to   be  baptized 

/must  recite  the  Apostles'  Creed  and  the  Our 

iFather,  and  he  must  renounce  the  works  of 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  91 

Satan.  Even  when  children  are  baptized, 
these  things  are  not  omitted;  the  sponsors 
perform  them  in  the  name  of  the  child.  The 
Church  shows  by  this  that  she  believes  that 
man  must  do  his  part  in  the  work  of  justifica- 
tion ;  God  makes  the  beginning,  and  contin- 
ually accompanies  the  acts  of  the  creature 
with  His  grace. 

These  acts  of  faith,  hope,  love,  and  repent- 
ance are  only  the  preparation  to  receive  the 
grace  of  justification;  they  do  not  justify. 
Justification  comes  through  the  sacrament  of 
Baptism,  according  to  the  words  of  our  Lord, 
"  Unless  a  man  is  born  again  of  water  and 
the  Holy  Ghost,  he  cannot  enter  the  king- 
dom of  God."  ^  Baptism  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  salvation,  so  that  no  one  can  be 
saved  without  it.  Only  in  case  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  receive  the  Baptism  of  water,  the 
intense  desire  of  it,  joined  with  perfect  con- 
trition—  that  is,  sorrow  for  sin  out  of  the 
love  of  God,  can  replace  it ;  this  is  called  the 
Baptism  of  desire.  Suffering  death  for  the 
1  John  3.  5. 


92  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

sake  of  Christ,  and  thus  becoming  a  martyr, 
can  also  take  the  place  of  Baptism  by  water ; 
this  we  call  the  Baptism  of  blood.  These 
are  extraordinary  ways  of  receiving  the  grace 
of  justification;  the  ordinary  manner  is  by 
the  Baptism  of  water.  The  Baptism  of 
desire  and  the  Baptism  of  blood  give  sancti- 
fying grace  only  when  the  Baptism  of  water 
is  impossible. 

In  the  New  Law  children  receive  sanctify- 
ing grace,  and  thus  are  justified  by  Baptism 
without  any  act  on  their  part.  Adults  must 
believe  in  God,  hope  in  Him,  begin  to  love 
Him,  and  must  repent  of  their  sins ;  then 
they  must  be  baptized  in  order  to  receive 
sanctifying  grace  and  become  just  in  the  eyes 
of  God. 

In  Baptism  we  receive  sanctifying  grace, 
and  so  are  justified ;  this  grace  is  also  called 
habitual  grace  because  it  remains  in  the 
soul  and  adorns  it.  However,  we  are  not  to 
understand  this  as  though  sanctifying  grace 
could  never  be  lost  when  it  has  once  been 
received.     Sanctifying  grace  remains  in  the 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  93 

soul  until  it  is  forcibly  expelled  by  mortal 
sin.  He  who  has  lost  sanctifying  grace 
cannot  please  God,  and  cannot  be  saved 
whilst  in  this  state ;  he  is  in  the  same  con- 
dition as  one  that  has  not  yet  been  baptized. 
In  fact,  he  is  in  a  worse  condition,  since  he 
has  also  to  answer  for  the  abuse  of  the  mercy 
of  God  which  has  been  shown  him  in 
Baptism.  Of  such  a  one  our  Lord  says, 
"  The  last  state  of  that  man  is  made  worse 
than  the  first."  ^ 

Is  there  then  no  remedy  left  for  one  who 
has  lost  the  grace  of  his  Baptism  ?     Is  there 
no  means  of  freeing  ourselves   of   the   sins 
Committed   after    Baptism  and  of   regaining 
the  friendship  and  grace  of   God }     If  God^ 
pad  said,  I  will  give  you  My  grace,  and  for4 
jgive  you  your  sins,  but  after  that  you  must] 
remain  faithful ;  if  you  commit  sin  again,  you/ 
pill   be  lost ;  if    He  had  said  this,  we  couldj 
[not  complain.     Through  Baptism  we  receive! 
[sanctifying  grace,  which  is  a  priceless  treas-l 
\re,   and   hence  to   throw   it  away   and   toy 
1  Matt.  12.  45. 


94  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

esteem  it  of  so  little  value  as  to  give  it  for 
some  useless  gratification  of  the  senses,  is 
the  deepest  ingratitude.  Still  God  in  His 
mercy  has  wished  to  pardon  even  this,  if  we 
repent  of  our  sins.  He  has  prepared  a 
remedy  by  which  those  that  lose  sanctifying 
grace  obtained  in  Baptism  may  regain  it  and 
become  once  more  the  children  of  God  and 
heirs  of  heaven. 

Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  has  come  to  seek 
and  to  save  those  that  were  lost.  In  His 
infinite  mercy  and  goodness.  He  has  taken 
pity  on  man,  on  account  of  his  natural 
weakness  and  the  inclination  to  evil  which 
remains  as  an  effect  of  original  sin,  and  has 
established  a  special  sacrament  by  which 
those  that  have  lost  the  grace  received  in 
Baptism  may  regain  it  and  thus  be  saved 
from  eternal  damnation.  This  sacrament 
is  the  sacrament  of  Penance.  Jesus  insti- 
tuted this  sacrament  after  His  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  when  He  said  to  the  apostles, 
"  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost :  whose  sins  you 
shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  them;    and 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED  95 

whose  sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  re- 
tained."^ Again,  at  another  time,  He  told 
His  apostles,  "  Whatsoever  you  shall  bind/^ 
upon  earth,  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven ; 
and  whatsoever  you  shall  loose  upon  earth, 
shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven."  ^  Christ  has 
given  His  apostles  and  their  successors, 
the  bishops  and  priests  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  power  to  forgive  sins  in  His 
name.  This  power  is  exercised  in  the  sac- 
rament of  Penance,  where  the  sins  are  for- 
given through  the  absolution  of  the  priest, 
whenever  any  one  is  heartily  sorry  for  his 
sins,  confesses  them  sincerely,  and  is  willing 
to  make  satisfaction  for  them. 

Through  the  sacrament  of  Penance  they 
that  have  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  the  sanc- 
tifying grace    received  in  Baptism   can    be 
saved.      Penance   is   often   called   a   second 
plank    after    shipwreck.      A    man's    life   isf* 
compared  to  a  sea  voyage:  by  Baptism  he) 
is  put  on  a  ship  that  is  to  carry  him  safely  \* 
to  the  port  of  heaven;    when  he  commits/ 

1  John  20.  23.  2  Matt.  i8.  18.  ^ 


96  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

a  mortal  sin,  he  is,  so  to  speak,  shipwrecked, 
and  unless  a  plank  or  some  other  object 
be  near  him "  to  which  he  can  cling,  he 
will  certainly  be  drowned;  no  power  of 
his  own  can  ever  save  him.  The  sacra- 
ment of  Penance  is  such  a  plank  after 
shipwreck.  Penance  is  also  called  the  labo- 
^  ^  rious  Baptism  of  tears.  Just  as  in  Baptism 
we  are  cleansed  from  our  sins  by  water  and 
the  Holy  Ghost,  so  in  penance  the  place 
of  water  is  taken  by  tears  of  contrition. 
This,  however,  does  not  mean  that  we  must 
actually  weep ;  we  can  be  sorry  for  our  sins 
even  without  shedding  tears.  Tears  are 
a  sign  of  sorrow,  and  therefore  we  call  pen- 
ance a  Baptism  of  tears  merely  to  indicate 
that  a  deep  sorrow  for  sin  is  absolutely 
necessary  in  this  sacrament.  In  the  early 
days  of  the  Church  penance  was  much  more 
difficult  than  it  is  now.  In  those  days  they 
that  had  sinned  were  often  compelled  to 
do  public  penance  for  their  sins ;  they  had  to 
remain  for  months,  and  even  years,  outside 
the    church    doors    during    some    parts    of 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION  IS   OBTAINED  97 

the  Mass,  ask  the  prayers  of  those  that 
entered  the  church,  and  so  profess  themselves 
to  all  the  people  as  sinners.  To-day  the 
priest  still  gives  a  penance  to  be  performed, 
for  this  is  a  part  of  the  sacrament;  but  the 
penances  are  much  lighter  and  rarely  public. 

The  Church  has  always  believed  that 
sins  committed  after  Baptism  are  forgiven 
through  the  sacrament  of  Penance,  and  has 
at  all  times  administered  this  sacrament. 
For  the  worthy  reception  of  this  sacrament 
the  sinner  must  do  something  on  his  part, 
in  order  that  he  may  again  obtain  the 
grace  of  God.  To  regain  justification,  lost 
by  mortal  sin,  he  must  believe,  hope,  begin 
to  love  God,  and  repent  of  his  sins,  and  then 
receive  the  sacrament  of  Penance. 

As  in  the  justification  of  one  who  is  not 
baptized,  so  also  in  the  justification  of  one 
who  has  lost  sanctifying  grace  by  mortal 
sin,  God  makes  the  beginning.  God,  by 
His  grace,  calls  the  lost  sheep;  He  invites 
him  to  return.  The  occasion  may  be  a 
sermon,   an    instruction,    the    voice   of    the 


98  HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS  OBTAINED 

priest  or  of  a  friend,  a  missionary,  or  it  may 
be  the  voice  of  conscience.  The  grace  of 
God  is  internal,  but  He  often  joins  it  to 
some  sign  or  event.  The  sinner  must  obey 
this  call  of  the  grace  of  God ;  if  he  neglects 
it,  he  cannot  be  justified  without  it.  He 
must  allow  himself  to  be  led  by  the  grace 
of  God ;  under  its  influence  he  must  believe 
in  Jesus  and  hope  for  His  forgiveness. 
Faith  is  the  root  from  which  all  justifica- 
tion springs ;  without  faith  we  can  do  noth- 
mg  to  please  God.  If  we  believe  in  Jesi^ 
and  His  infinite  mercy,  we  will  also  hope 
(in  His  forgiveness.  Then  if  we  are  sorri- 
Ifor  our  sins  and  resolve  to  avoid  sin  in  thfe 
{future,  we  are  beginning  to  love  God.  ^ 
Now  that  the  sinner  has,  with  the  help 
of  divine  grace,  prepared  his  soul  by  these 
acts  for  the  reception  of  sanctifying  grace, 
he  must  receive  the  sacrament  of  Penance. 
Christ  ordained  this  by  the  words  which 
He  spoke  to  His  apostles,  "Whose  sins," 
etc.^       By    these    words     Jesus     instituted 

^  John  20.  22. 


( 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS  OBTAINED  99 

the  sacrament  of  Penance,  and  ordained 
that  the  priest  examine  into  the  state  of 
the  soul  of  the  penitent  and  forgive  him 
his  sins  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  if  he 
finds  him  properly  disposed.  It  is  true 
sins  can  be  forgiven  also  without  the  actual 
reception  of  the  sacrament  of  Penance  by 
an  act  of  perfect  contrition,  that  is,  by  sorrow 
for  sin  out  of  the  motive  of  the  love  of 
God;  but  there  must  always  be  included 
in  this  contrition  the  resolution  of  confess- 
ing one's  sins  as  soon  as  possible.  It  is 
impossible  to  be  sorry  for  one's  sins  out 
of  the  motive  of  the  love  of  God,  without 
wishing  to  comply  also  with  the  command- 
ments He  has  given.  God  has  ordained 
that  the  ordinary  way  to  receive  forgive- 
ness of  the  sins  committed  after  Baptism 
is  the  sacrament  of  Penance ;  hence  perfect 
contrition  forgives  sins  only  when  we  are 
willing  to  comply  with  the  ordinary  arrange- 
ments God  has  made  for  the  remission  of  sin. 
We  have  indeed  cause  to  be  grateful  to 
God   for  the   institution   of    the  sacrament 


100        HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

of  Penance ;  for  how  few  there  are  who 
retain  pure  and  unsoiled  the  garment  of 
baptismal  innocence !  How  few  there 
would  be  to  obtain  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
if  God  had  not  made  provision  for  the 
forgiveness  of  the  sins  committed  after 
Baptism!  This  sacrament,  therefore,  is  a 
testimonial  of  the  mercy  and  goodness  of 
God  toward  us.  By  means  of  it  the  ob- 
taining of  eternal  happiness  has  been  made 
4^  comparatively  easy.  After  our  ingratitude, 
God  could  have  prescribed  most  difficult 
conditions  for  the  regaining  of  sanctify- 
ing grace,  but  He  has  preferred  to  make 
the  return  to  Him  possible,  and  even  easy, 
for  every  one.  All  that  He  requires  is 
that  we  detest  our  sins,  resolve  to  serve 
Him  faithfully  in  the  future,  confess  our 
sins  to  His  representative,  and  accept  the 
^penance  imposed  on  us  by  him.  It  is  true 
it  may  seem  difficult  to  some  to  confess 
their  sins  to  another;  but  sin  is  an  act  of 
rebellion  and  pride,  and  is  therefore  most 
appropriately  forgiven  by  an  act  of  humility. 


HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED         loi 

With  the  help  of  the  grace  of  God,  the 
false  shame  which  would  keep  us  from  tell- 
ing our  sins  can  be  overcome ;  we  must  take 
this  medicine,  which  may  seem  a  little  bitter 
at  times,  if  we  wish  to  regain  the  health  of 
the  soul.  Besides,  God  has  ordained  that 
these  sins  shall  never  be  revealed  by  the 
priest.  The  priest  must  suffer  death  rather 
than  make  known  the  least  sin  heard  in 
confession. 

After  Baptism  there  is  no  remedy  for 
sin  except  the  sacrament  of  Penance,  We 
may  fast,  give  alnis,  pray,  perform  the  great- 
est works  of  piety,  but  unless  we  are  wilHng 
to  confess  our  sins,  and  so  comply  with 
the  will  of  God,  it  is  all  in  vain.  God  has 
willed  this,  and  His  will  must  be  done.  If, 
on  the  contrary,  after  proper  preparation, 
we  confess  our  sins  candidly  to  the  priest, 
and  he,  by  the  power  given  him  by  Jesus 
Christ,  says,  "  I  absolve  thee  from  thy  sins, 
in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  then  our  sins  are 
forgiven,  and  sanctifying  grace  again  enters 


I02         HOW  JUSTIFICATION   IS   OBTAINED 

our  souls;  we  are  once  more  children  of 
God ;  once  more  heaven  is  our  right.  Then 
we  should  rejoice  and  thank  God  with 
the  Psalmist :  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ; 
and  let  all  that  is  within  me  praise  His 
holy  name.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul; 
and  never  forget  all  He  hath  done  for 
thee:  who  forgiveth  all  thy  iniquities;  who 
healeth  all  thy  diseases;  who  redeemeth 
thy  life  from  destruction;  who  crowneth 
thee  with  mercy  and  compassion."^ 

1  Psalm  102. 1-4. 


ON   THE   INFUSED   VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL,   AND 
ON    FAITH    IN    PARTICULAR 

THE    INFUSED    VIRTUES 

What  do  you  call  those  graces  or  gifts  of  God  by  which 
we  believe  in  Him,  hope  in  Him,  and  love  Him  ? 

Those  graces  or  gifts  of  God  by  which  we  believe  in 
Him,  hope  in  Him,  and  love  Him,  are  called  the  divine 
virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity. 

By  sanctifying  grace  man  is  justified,  that 
is,  all  his  sins  are  remitted,  and  he  is  interi- 
orly sanctified  and  made  pleasing  to  God ; 
he  becomes  a  child  of  God,  and  has  a  right 
to  the  eternal  happiness  of  heaven.  As  a 
child  and  servant  of  God,  he  must  know 
God,  his  Father  and  Lord,  he  must  hope  for 
the  reward  which  God  has  promised  him  for 
his  fidelity,  and  he  must  love  God  above  all 
things.  All  these  things  follow  from  sancti- 
fying  grace,   which   makes    us   children    of 

God.      Hence  the   catechism    asks    in    this 

103 


104  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL 

place  the  question,  "  What  do  you  call 
those  graces  or  gifts  of  God  by  which  we 
believe  in  Him,  hope  in  Him,  and  love 
Him?" 

"  Those  graces  or  gifts  of  God  by  which  we 
believe  in  Him,  hope  in  Him,  and  love  Him, 
are  called  the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope, 
and  charity." 

The  catechism  calls  them  graces  or  gifts 
to  indicate  that,  just  like  grace,  they  are 
given  without  any  merit  on  our  part,  purely 
through  the  mercy  and  goodness  of  God. 
Without  sanctifying  grace  we  do  not  have 
the  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity. 
Now    we    know    that    sanctifying    grace    is 

free  gift  of  God;    the    virtues,    therefore, 

ich  are  infused,  that  is,  poured  into  the 
soul,  with  it,  and  on  account  of  it,  are  also 
gratuitous.  God  gives  them  to  us  without 
any  merit  of  our  own.  Through  sanctifying 
grace  God  gives  us  a  supernatural  life;  life 
shows  itself  in  actions.  We  have  our  natural 
life  through  the  soul,  which  is  the  source  of 
life ;  this  life  shows  itself  through  the  acts  of 


^'^Sii 


AND   FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  105 

our  faculties,  —  we  walk,  we  think,  we  will.  — 
and  by  these  actions  it  is  known  that  we 
have  life ;  they  are  its  manifestations.  Grace 
raises  our  soul  to  a  supernatural  life ;  this 
life,  too,  must  manifest  itself  in  some  acts ; 
it,  too,  must  bring  with  it  its  supernatural 
inclinations.  These  supernatural  inclinations 
are  the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity;  by  means  of  them  we  can  believe, 
hope,  and  love  God,  in  a  supernatural  man- 
ner, just  as  we  can  know  and  love  Him 
naturally  by  means  of  our  natural  faculties 
of  understanding  and  will.  Grace  raises  the 
soul  itself  to  the  supernatural  order,  and  the 
divine  virtues  elevate  the  faculties  of  intel- 
lect and  will. 

T^ese  divine  virtues  differ  from  the 
natural  virtues.  By  repeating  a  certain 
good  act  frequently  we  gain  ease  and  facil- 
ity in  performing  that  act;  so,  if  a  boy  is 
always  attentive  and  ready  to  obey,  he  ac- 
quires through  this  a  great  facility  to  obey ; 
his  first  impulse  is  to  obey,  it  becomes  easy 
to  him ;  we  say  that  he  has  acquired  the  vir- 


io6  INFUSED  VIRTUES  IN  GENERAL 

tue  of  obedience.  From  such  acquired  vir- 
tues the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity  differ  very  much ;  they  are  not  ob- 
tained through  our  own  efforts  by  a  repetition 
of  acts,  but  they  are  poured  into  the  soul  by 
God  with  sanctifying  grace ;  they  are  not 
natural,  but  supernatural.  The  difference 
might  be  illustrated  by  an  example.  Let  us 
suppose  that  we  have  a  young  tree ;  by  great 
care  we  can  make  that  tree  bear  fruit,  better 
in  quality  and  greater  in  abundance,  but  we 

y  cannot  make  it  bear  a  different  kind  of  fruit ; 

^^^^^  so,  also,  by  our  own  efforts  we  may  perform 
acts  of  virtue  more  perfectly,  but  we  cannot 
perform  any  act  which  is  supernatural.  If, 
however,  a  branch  of  a  different  kind  is 
engrafted  upon  the  tree  of  which  we  spoke, 
then  it  will  bring  forth  also  a  different  kind 
of  fruit ;  so  it  is  with  the  infused  virtues, 
—  by  them  a  supernatural  element  is,  so  to 
;  say,  engrafted  upon  our  natural  faculties,  and 
on  this  account  we  are  enabled  to  believe, 
hope,  and  love  in  a  higher,  a  supernatural, 
manner. 


AND  FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  107 

That,  by  the  sacrament  of  Baptism,  the 
divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity 
are  infused  into  the  soul,  we  learn  from  the 
teaching  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  "  Through 
the  Holy  Ghost  the  charity  of  God  is  dif- 
fused in  the  hearts  of  those  who  are  justified 
and  inheres  in  them,  whence  in  justification 
man  receives  from  Jesus  Christ  together 
with  the  remission  of  sin,  faith,  hope,  and 
charity."^  That  these  are  not  merely  the 
acts  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  we  infer 
from  the  fact  that  the  Council  teaches  that 
faith,  hope,  and  charity  inhere  in  the  soul, 
they  remain  as  something  permanent  This 
can  only  be  understood  in  the  sense  that 
they  are  permanent  virtues ;  acts  are  passing, 
and  cannot  be  said  to  inhere  in  the  soul. 
The  Church  therefore  teaches  that  in  Bap- 
tism there  is  infused  into  the  soul  something 
that  remains,  by  virtue  of  which  we  believe 
in  God,  hope  in  Him,  and  love  Him.  Na- 
ture gives  to  children  an  instinct,  as  it  were, 
by  which   they    know  their    parents,    trust 

1  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  VI,  can.  7. 


io8  INFUSED   VIRTUES  IN  GENERAL 

them,  and  love  them.     There  is  something 
beautiful   in  the  trust  that  a  child  puts  in 
his  parents.     How  he  listens  to  their  words 
and  receives  without  the  least  doubt  all  that 
they  tell  him!      His  parents  may  be  with- 
out any  great  education  or  learning,  still  the 
child  will  accept  without  questioning  what- 
/'ever  he  hears  from  his  father.    He  believes  his 
f  father  to  be  able  to  protect  him  against  all  ene- 
\mies;  he  puts  the  highest  trust  in  him.     As 
^for  the  love  a  child  bears  toward  his  parents, 
\it  goes   above   all   other  human   love;    the 
parents  may  be  in  lowly  circumstances,  yet  a 
>  child  will  prefer  his  parents  to  all  other  men 
\  and  women ;    he  would  rather  be  with  his 
^rents   than  with  the  wealthiest  and  most 
influential  persons  of   the  world.     By  grace 
we  become  the  children  of  God.     "  And  be- 
cause you  are  sons,  God  hath  sent  the  spirit 
of  His  Son  into  your  hearts,  crying :  Abba, 
Father."  ^     By  grace,  then,  God  also  gives  us 
the  instinct  of  children ;  by  grace  we  know 
Him  as  our  Father ;  by  grace  we  trust  and 
1  Gal.  4. 6. 


AND   FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  109 

hope  in  Him ;  by  grace  we  love    Him,  and  ^ 
cry,  "  Abba,  Father."     It  is  most  reasonable,  * 
therefore,  to  believe  that,  since  by  grace  God  * 
makes  us  His  children.  He  also  infuses  into 
our   hearts  with  grace  the  divine  virtues  of 
faith,  hope,  and   charity.     By  these   virtues  f^ 
we  show  ourselves  His  children,  and  as  such') 
we  must  know  Him  in  a  supernatural  way, 
a  knowledge  which  comes  by  faith ;  we  must 
trust  in  Him,  and  this  is  by  hope;  we  must 
love  Him,  as  a  child  loves  his  father,  which 
we  do  by  the  virtue  of  charity.    Of  these  three 
virtues  St.  Paul  speaks  when  he  says,  "  Now 
there  remain  faith,  hope,  and  charity:  these 
three ;  but  the  greater  of  these  is  charity."  ^ 

These  virtues  are  infused  into  the  soul  with 
sanctifying  grace ;  by  it  we  become  children 
of  God  and  receive  on  this  account  the 
virtues  which  a  child  of  God  must  have. 
It  is  true  we  said  in  a  former  chapter  that 
a  grown  person  must  believe  in  God,  must 
hope  in  Him  and  begin  to  love  Him  even 
before  justification;  but   these   acts  do   not 

1 1  Cor.  13.  13. 


no  INFUSED   VIRTUES   IN  GENERAL 

flow  from  a  virtue  which  resides  perma- 
nently in  the  soul.  They  are  done  under 
the  influence  of  actual  grace;  they  are  not 
permanent  virtues  flowing  from  sanctifying 
grace.  The  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope, 
and  charity  remain  in  the  soul.  They  are 
not  passing,  transient  acts,  but  rather  the  root 
from  which  such  acts  spring.  The  divine 
virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity  are  infused 
into  the  soul  at  Baptism.  They  are  increased 
by  the  worthy  reception  of  the  sacraments  and 
by  meritorious  good  works.  The  Church 
teaches  us  that  the  worthy  reception  of  the 
sacraments  is  always  productive  of  grace. 
Now  if  the  sacraments  always  give  grace, 
then  the  sacraments  of  the  Jiving,  since 
they  are  received  by  those  that  already 
live  by  the  life  of  grace,  as  also  the  sacra- 
ments of  the  dead,  when  received  by  one  who 
is  in  the  state  of  grace,  must  give  an  increase 
of  sanctifying  grace.  Sanctifying  grace  is 
increased  in  the  soul  by  the  worthy  reception 
of  the  sacraments  and  by  good  works ;  for  the 
Church  teaches  that  by  good  works  we  can 


AND  FAITH  IN  PARTICULAR  in 

merit  an  increase  of  sanctifying  grace,  and 
that  grace  is  given  to  every  one  according  to 
his  disposition  and  cooperation.  By  sanctify- 
ing grace  we  are  made  "No  more  strangers 
and  foreigners:  but  fellow-citizens  with  the 
saints,  and  the  domestics  of  God ;  "  ^  by  the  in- 
crease of  grace  through  the  worthy  reception 
of  the  sacraments  and  by  good  works  we  go 
from  virtue  to  virtue,  and  are  "  renewed  from 
day  to  day."  "  He  that  is  just,  let  him  be  justi-\A 
fied  still:  and  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be 
sanctified  still."  ^  If  by  the  sacraments  and 
good  works  sanctifying  grace  is  increased, 
then  it  follows  that  the  divine  virtues,  too,  are 
increased,  since  they  are  infused  with  sanctify- 
ing  grace  and  flow  from  it,  just  as  the  natural 
faculties  are  derived  from  the  soul.  If  he  that 
is  just  is  by  grace  justified  still,  then  —  since 
the  Church  teaches  that  justification  consists 
in  the  remission  of  sin  and  the  renovation 
of  the  soul  through  the  infusion  of  grace  and 
the  divine  virtues  —  it  follows  that  by  an  in- 
crease of  justification  both  sanctifying  grace 

1  Eph.  2.  19.  2  Apoc.  22.  II. 


112  INFUSED   VIRTUES  IN   GENERAL 

and  the  divine  virtues  are  increased.  Hence 
the  apostles  prayed,  "  Increase  our  faith,"  ^  and 
the  Apostle  wished  the  Romans,  "  Now  the 
God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace 
in  believing ;  that  you  may  abound  in  hope 
and  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  ^  and 
prayed  for  the  faithful,  "  That  their  charity 
abound  more  and  more."  The  Church,  too, 
on  the  thirteenth  Sunday  after  Pentecost 
prays  in  the  Mass,  "  Omnipotent,  eternal  God, 
give  us  an  increase  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity." 
Do  the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity  always  remain  in  the  soul,  once  they 
have  been  produced  by  the  operation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  through  sanctifying  grace,  or 
are  they  lost  again  whe7z  man  loses  grace 
through  sin  ?  This  question  cannot  be 
answered  by  a  simple  'yes'  or  'no.'  It  is 
certain  that  the  divine  virtue  of  charity  or  the 
love  of  God  is  lost  when,  through  mortal  sin, 
sanctifying  grace  is  lost.  Through  the  love 
of  God  we  become  the  friends  of  God,  but 
we  cannot  be  His  friends  if  we  are  in  the 

1  Luke  17.  5.  2  Rom.  15.  13. 


AND   FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  113 

state  of  sin,  and  therefore  are  His  enemies. 
One  that  loves  God  will  be  loved  by  Him, 
and  hence  cannot  but  be  a  friend  of  God. 
"  He  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of  My 
Father,  and  I  will  love  him  and  will  manifest 
Myself  to  him."  ^  Whom  God  loves,  him  He 
also  gives  sanctifying  grace.  God's  love  is 
not  like  our  love;  we  love  people  because 
they  are  good,  but  God's  love  makes  them^ 
good,  holy,  and  just.  God's  love  gives  them 
sanctifying  grace.  Charity,  if  not  the  same 
as  sanctifying  grace,  is  so  closely  connected 


with  it  that  it  is  impossible  to  separate  the/- 
two ;    no  one  can  have  charity  without   hav- 
ing also  sanctifying  grace,  and  no  one  can' 
have  sanctifying  grace  without  having  also/ 
the  virtue  of  charity   or   the  love  of   God.^ 
Since   faith,  hope,  and  charity  are  infused 
together   with    sanctifying  grace,  and    since  » 
charity  is   lost  with   the  loss  of  grace,    we  [* 
would  expect  that  the  same  be  true  also  of ' 
faith  and  hope.  .  However,  by  a  special  dis- 
pensation  of   God's   mercy,  He  has   wished 

1  John  14.  21. 


,-,  >•? 


114  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL 

that  these  virtues  remain   in  the   soul,  even 

after  grace   and   charity  have   been  lost  by 

mortal  sin,  so  that  the  return  of  the  sinner  to 

God  might  be  easier.     Although  faith   and 

hope,  like  charity,  are  derived  from  sanctifying 

\   grace,  yet  just  as  heat,  which  is  caused  by  fire, 

\   can  remain  even  after  the  fire  is  put  out,  so 

•   also  the  virtues  of  faith  and  hope  remain  after 

the  source,  sanctifying  grace,  is  expelled  from 

the  soul.     By  faith  we  are  Christians,  and  it 

is  clear   that   one   does    not   cease  to  be  a 

Christian  when  he   commits    a   mortal    sin; 

and  even  a  sinner  can  and  must  hope  that 

through  the  mercy  of  God  his  sin  will  be 

forgiven  and  that  he  will  finally  be  saved. 

This  is  the  teaching  of  the  Church  in  the 

fCouncil  of  Trent.    "  If  any  man  say  that  by 

\  the  loss  of  sanctifying  grace  faith  is  always 

Most   with   it,   or   that   faith   which  remains, 

.^though  no  living  faith,  is  not  true  faith,  or 

'that  he  who  has  faith  without  charity  is  not 

;  a  Christian,  let  him  be   anathema."^     The 

^Church  teaches  us,  therefore,  that  faith  is  not 

1  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  VI,  can.  28. 


AND  FAITH  IN  PARTICULAR  115 

lost  by  every  mortal  sin,  but  that  faith  with- 
out grace  and  charity  is  dead  —  that  is,  that 
without  grace,  although  we  have  faith,  we 
cannot  do  anything  to  merit  the  reward  of 
heaven ;  we  cannot  even  merit  grace.  Faith 
becomes  living  faith  by  charity ;  and  of  one 
who  has  living  faith  St.  Paul  says,  "  The  just 
man  liveth  by  faith."  *  Writing:  to  the  Corin- 
thians,  St.  Paul  says,  "If  I  should  have  all>^ 
faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  and 
have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing."^  He  sup- 
poses, therefore,  that  we  can  have  faith  so 
strong  as  to  be  able  to  work  miracles  without 
chanty  and  grace,  but  such  faith  would  avail 
us  nothing  for  heaven  ;  it  is  dead.  Although 
by  this  faith  we  can  do  nothing  to  merit 
heaven,  it  is  not  useless.  God,  in  His  mercy, 
wished  to  leave  us  faith  and  hope,  so  that 
we  would  be  better  disposed  to  do  penance 
and  return  to  Him  by  real  sorrow  for  our 
sins.  How  good  and  merciful  God  is 
to  us!  He  gives  us,  without  any  merit 
on  our  part.  His  grace  of  justification,  and 

^  Rom.  I.  17.  2  J  Cor.  13.  2. 


ii6  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL 

even  after  we  have  abused  this  gift,  He 
still  leaves  us  the  virtues  of  faith  and  hope, 
that  we  may  return  to  Him.  "  The  Lord  is 
gracious  and  merciful :  patient  and  plenteous 
in  mercy.  The  Lord  is  sweet  to  all;  and 
His  tender  mercies  are  over  all  His  works."  ^ 


ON   FAITH 

What  is  faith  ? 

Faith  is  a  divine  virtue  by  which  we  firmly  believe  the 
truths  which  God  has  revealed. 

Faith,  hope,  and  charity  are  infused  into 
the  soul  with  sanctifying  grace ;  they  are 
the  constant  companions  of  grace;  grace 
cannot  be  in  the  soul  without  them.  Faith, 
hope,  and  charity  constitute  the  interior 
sanctity  of  justification.  Our  catechism  for 
this  reason  treats  here  specially  of  these 
three  virtues,  and  first  of  faith. 

Faith  is  a  virtue,  that  is,  it  is  not  merely 
a  transient  act,  nor  even  a  series  of  acts,  but 
it  is  something  permanent ;  it  is  a  habit  that 
^  Psalm  144.  7,  8,  9. 


AND  FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  117 

remains  in  the  soul.  It  is  called  divine 
because  it  comes  from  God,  who  infuses  it 
into  the  soul,  together  with  sanctifying  grace, 
without  any  merit  on  our  part ;  it  has  to  do 
with  God,  who  is  the  object  of  faith,  for  by 
faith  we  believe  in  Him;  His  truthfulness 
is  the  motive  of  our  belief.  When  we 
learn  in  school  that  there  is  such  a  country 
as  China,  which  we  never  saw,  we  believe  * 
this  to  be  true  because  we  trust  others  who  • 
tell  us  so.  This  is  human  faith.  When, 
however,  God  reveals  some  truth  we  accept 
this  truth,  because  God  is  truthful ;  then 
we  have  divine  faith.  By  faith  we  believe 
firmly,  that  is  without  doubt  or  hesitation. 
We  accept  the  truths  He  has  revealed,  and 
all  of  them,  because  He  is  truth  itself; 
and  if  we  believe  Him  on  account  of  His 
veracity,  there  is  no  reason  for  doubting 
any  of  the  truths  He  has  made  known. 
Our  catechism  adds  the  words  which  God 
has  revealed,  and  this  means  that  we  believe 
these  truths  because  God  has  revealed  them. 
God's    truthfulness    is    the    motive    of    our 


Ii8  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN  GENERAL 

belief.     Let  us  examine  these  things  a  little 
more  in  detail. 

To  believe  is  to  hold  something  for  true, 
not  because  we  understand  it,  but  because 
we  trust  him  who  tells  us.  In  this  way  we 
believe  many  things.  We  accept  on  faith  or 
believe  many  things  that  our  parents  tell  us, 
and  things  that  we  learn  in  school.  We  do 
not  know  whether  they  are  true  or  false,  but 
because  we  trust  those  who  tell  us  of  them,  we 
hold  them  as  true :  we  believe  them.  Faith 
i  is  therefore  an  assent  of  the  mind,  on  account 
of  the  truthfulness  of  one  who  instructs  us. 

At  times  we  may  doubt  the  word  of  an- 
other because  we  think  he  does  not  know 
the  truth  or  the  falsehood  concerning  that  of 
which  he  speaks.  He  may  not  wish  to  de- 
ceive us,  but  he  may  be  mistaken  himself,  or, 
if  he  knows  the  truth,  he  may  have  some 
reason  for  not  telling  us.  In  that  case  he 
would  deceive  us.  Neither  of  these  reasons 
holds  with  God.  He  knows  all  things,  and 
He  is  all-holy,  and  therefore  cannot  deceive 
us   nor  be   deceived.     By   divine  faith  we 


AND   FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  119 

believe  firmly,  without  any  hesitation,  all  that 
God  makes  known  to  us,  because  He  can- 
not be  deceived  nor  can  He  deceive  us.  By 
faith  we  come  to  the  knowledge  of  God; 
we  come  to  know  Him  more  perfectly  than 
we  could  know  Him  by  the  light  of  our 
own  reason;  we  come  to  a  knowledge  of 
truths  which  we  could  not  know  by  our 
own  reason,  such  as  His  having  designed  us 
to  become  His  sons  and  to  see  Him  forever 
face  to  face  in  heaven,  etc.  These  things 
we  could  not  know  if  we  were  left  to  our- 
selves; by  faith  we  believe  them  because 
we  know  that  God  does  not  deceive  us. 
Faith  is,  therefore,  something  of  the  intel- 
lect; what  reason  and  intellect  are  for  us 
in  the  natural  order,  faith  is  for  us  in  the 
supernatural  order.  "  By  faith  we  understand/^ 
that  the  world  was  framed  by  the  word  of 
God."^  Faith  is  supernatural  knowledge. 
Faith'ifeipecessary  to  salvation,  for  "  He  that^ 
believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved :  but 
he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  condemned."^ 

iReb.  11.3.  2  Mark  16.  16. 


120  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL 

Faith  is,  therefore,  a  salutary  act ;  but  we  can 
do  nothing  for  our  salvation  by  our  natural 

yi^  powers.  Hence  faith  is  supernatural.  "  For 
by  grace  you  are  saved  through  faith,  and 
that  not  of  yourselves;  for  it  is  the  gift  of 
God."^  Without  grace  our  faith  would  be 
mere  natural  faith ;  to  believe,  so  as  to  please 
God,  we  need  the  assistance  of  His  all- 
powerful  grace. 

The  motive  of  belief,  in  order  that  our 
faith  be  supernatural^  must  be  the  veracity 
of  God.  We  believe  what  God  has  revealed 
because  on  account  of  His  infinite  sanctity 

^AHe  cannot  deceive  us.  "God  is  not  as  a 
man,  that  He  should  lie,  nor  as  the  son 
of  man,  that  He  should  be  changed."^  If 
we  believe  that  God  became  man  and 
dwelt  amongst  us,  it  is  because  God  who 
is  all  truth  has  revealed  this  to  us.  Not 
to  believe  something  that  God  has  made 
known  is  to  call  His  truthfulness  into 
question ;  it  is  to  doubt  the  word  of  God. 
From  this   we  see   how  foolish  those  men 

1  Eph.  2.  8.  2  ]^um.  23.  19. 


AND   FAITH   IN  PARTICULAR  121 

are  who  accept  so  easily  everything  that 
men  tell  them,  and  yet  say  that  they  can- 
not believe  the  things  God  has  revealed. 
They  will  believe  the  testimony  of  men 
rather  than  that  of  God.  Men  who  call 
themselves  scientific  will  often  oppose  the 
small  light  of  their  intelligence  to  thei 
omniscience  of  God,  and  expect  us  to  be-  j 
lieve  them  rather  than  the  word  of  God,/ 
who   knows   all    things.      They  pretend   to\ 

know    better   than    He    who    has    made   all  v* 

.^..,. ,  -  -...  .   .^ i 

things.  It  often  happens  that  they  are  not 
certain  themselves  of  what  they  say,  and 
change  their  opinions  from  year  to  year, 
and  with  all  that,  they  think  they  can 
ridicule  those  who  reject  their  notions,  and 
^prefer  to  believe  in  God,  who  is  all  knowl- 
edge and  all  truth.  Because  the  motive  of 
our  faith  is  the  wisdom  and  truth  of  God, 
our  faith  is  a  firm  one.  It  is  more  certain 
than  any  other  truth  which  we  get  by  our 
own  natural  understanding.  An  example 
of  this  firmness  of  belief  we  see  in  Abra- 
ham, "  Who  against  hope  believed  in  hope,^^ 


122  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL 

that  he  might  be  made  the  father  of  many- 
nations,  according  to  that  which  was  said  to 
him :  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  And  he  was  not 
w^eak  in  faith,  .  . .  and  therefore  it  was  reputed 
to  him  unto  justice."^  Abraham  had  been 
promised  by  God  that  he  should  be  the  father 
of  many  people;  naturally  speaking  there 
was  every  reason  for  him  to  doubt  this 
promise,  but  he  never  doubted  the  word  of 
God ;  he  knew  that  what  God  said  must  be 
true,  and  that  all  that  God  promised  must 
be  fulfilled,  no  matter  Jiow  improbable  it 
might  seem.  This  was  the  kind  of  faith  that 
God  wanted,  and  "  it  was  reputed  to  him  unto 
justice."  Let  us  learn  from  the  example  of 
Abraham  to  believe  firmly  all  that  God 
has  revealed  and  proposes  for  our  belief ; 
His  word  is  more  than  the  intellect  of  any 
man,  or  even  of  all  men  put  together,  for 
He  has  made  them  all.  The  wisdom  of 
man  will  pass  away,  but  God's  word  will 
yjA^lways  be  true.  "  Heaven  and  earth  shall 
pass,  but  My  words  shall  not  pass."^ 

1  Rom.  4.  18-22.  2  Matt.  24.  35. 


AND   FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  123 

Because  the  motive  of  divine  faith  is  the 
veracity  of  God,  it  follows  that  our  faith 
must  be  unwersaly^  Le.  we  cannot  have  divine 
faith  unless  we  are  willing  to  believe  all 
God  has  revealed.  This  is  clear  in  itself: 
if  we  believe  because  God  who  is  truth  itself 
has  spoken,  we  must  believe  all  that  He  has 
revealed.  One  who  would  believe  some  of 
the  truths  which  God  has  revealed,  and  reject 
the  others,  would  set  himself  up  as  a  judge 
of  the  truthfulness  of  God.  Such  a  one 
would,  as  St.  Aus^ustine  said  to  the  heretics 
of  his  day,  not  believe  God,  but  himself. 
He  would  believe  not  because  God  revealed 
the  truth,  but  because  the  truth  pleased  him. 
As  if  he  said  to  God,  "  I  will  believe  those 
things  which  please  me,  and  which  I  see  to 
be  true,  but  I  will  not  believe  you  when  I 
do  not  understand  how  that  which  you  re- 
veal can  be  true."  Such  a  one  would  insult 
God,  and  practically  call  Him  a  liar,  or 
would  at  least  say  that  it  is  possible  for  God 
to  be  deceived  or  to  deceive  us.  The  same 
must  be  said  of  him  who,  not  wishing  to 


124  INFUSED   VIRTUES   IN  GENERAL 

accept  some  truth  which  God  has  revealed, 
denies  that  God  has  revealed  it.  Such  a 
man  tries  to  produce  in  himself  a  voluntary 
ignorance  of  what  God  has  revealed.  He 
knows  that  God  has  made  known  this  truth, 
but  he  attempts  to  blind  himself,  that  he 
may  be  able  to  deny  the  truth  which  does 
not  please  him.  If  we  wish  to  be  faithful 
to  God,  we  must  believe  all  that  He  has 
revealed,  and  this  because  He  can  neither 
deceive  nor  be  deceived.  We  cannot  set 
^our  own  reason  above  God,  and  judge  of 
what  we  wish  to  believe  and  what  we  do 
not  wish  to  believe.  If  we  have  divine  faith, 
we  will  believe  all  that  God  has  made 
known;  if  we  reject  even  one  article,  then 
we  have  not  the  faith  which  comes  from 
God,  for  we  believe  our  own  reason  and 
not  the  word  of  God.  We  must  believe  all 
that  God  has  revealed,  even  if  it  is  above 
our  understanding.  God's  intellect  is  in- 
finite; He  knows  infinitely  more  than  we 
can  understand.  If,  therefore.  He  wishes  to 
make   some   of  these    truths   known  to  us, 


AND  FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  125 

we  must  accept  them  with  joy.  Such  truths 
we  call  mysteries.  God  has  revealed  some 
mysteries  to  us,  such  as  the  mystery  of  the 
Blessed  Trinity,  ix,  that  God  is  one  in 
nature  but  three  in  person,  that  each  of 
these  persons  is  God,  and  that  still  there  is 
but  one  God.  We  cannot  understand  how 
this  is,  but  God,  who  is  all  truth,  has  said 
so,  therefore  we  believe  it  to  be  true.  Faith 
is  obscure  by  its  nature;  if  we  understood 
all  the  truths  that  God  makes  known  to  us, 
there  would  be  no  merit  in  faith,  as  we  could 
not  but  accept  them ;  but  on  account  of  the 
darkness  that  surrounds  the  truths  of  faith, 
we  believe  because  of  the  truthfulness  of 
God,  and  not  because  we  see  these  things 
to  be  true ;  this  is  real  faith.  "  Faith  is  the  ^ 
substance  of  things  to  be  hoped  for,  the  evi- 
dence of  things  that  appear  not."  ^  If  we 
understood  all  that  faith  teaches  us,  we 
would  not  hold  these  truths  because  of 
God's  truthfulness,  but  on  account  of  our 
understanding.  This  would  destroy  the 
iHeb.  II.  I. 


126  INFUSED  VIRTUES  IN  GENERAL 

very  nature  of  faith ;  it  would  become  natu- 
ral knowledge  and  cease  to  be  faith;  it 
would  destroy  all  merit.  We  do  not  think 
that  a  man  should  be  rewarded  for  admit- 
:z^^ 51  ting  that  two  and  two  are  four;  he  can- 
not help  admitting  it,  because  he  sees  that 
it  is  true ;  but  when  we  believe  that  in  God 
there  are  three  persons,  who  are  but  one 
God,  we  do  not  understand  this  truth,  and 
we  accept  it  only  because  God  has  said 
so.  Such  faith  honors  God  and  is  deserv- 
ing of  reward. 

Faith  is  necessary  for  salvation,  for  "  with- 
out  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God."^ 
The  virtue  of  faith  is  infused  with  sanctify- 
ing grace,  and  hence  no  one  can  be  saved 
without  faith  any  more  than  he  can  be  saved 
without  grace.  Children  are  born  deprived 
of  sanctifying  grace;  they  are  subject  to 
original  sin,  which  they  inherit  from  our 
first  parents,  and  unless  they  are  baptized 
they  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
If  they  be  baptized,  they  receive  at  the  same 
iHeb.  II.  6. 


AND   FAITH   IN   PARTICULAR  127 

time   with   sanctifying   grace,  the  virtue  of 
divine  faith.     Faith  is  therefore  so  necessary 
that  one  cannot  be  saved,  even  if  it  is  with- 
out any  fault  of  his   own  that   he   has   nov 
faith.       Such   a   one    is    not    disposed    for 
eternal    life,    and  he  cannot   obtain   it   anj^ 
more    than   a   man    can    see   without    eyes^ 
Grown  persons,  i.e,  they  who  have  attained 
the  use  of  reason,  must  not  only  have  the 
virtue  of  faith,  but  they  must  also  exercise 
certain    acts   of   faith,   in    order    to    obtain 
eternal    salvation.      They    must    believe   in 
God,    and   must  believe  that    God   rewards 
the  good  and  punishes  the  wicked ;  accord- 
[ing  to   the   words   of    St.    Paul,    "  He   tha|^ 
:ometh  to   God,    must   believe   that   He  is,' 
Lud  is  a  rewarder  to  them  that  seek  Him."^ 
.n  order  to  come  to   God   one  must  know 
the   end  to  which  he  is  tending;   he   must 
know   that    God  exists,   and  that   if   he  be 
faithful,  God  is  to  be  his  happiness.     When 
a  sinner  wishes   to   obtain   justification,  he 
must   be   sorry  for  his  sins  out  of  a  super- 

iHeb.  11.  6. 


128  INFUSED   VIRTUES   IN  GENERAL 

natural  motive,  either  because  he  has  lost 
heaven  and  deserved  the  punishments  of 
hell,  or  because  he  has  offended  God  who 
is  all-good ;  without  the  knowledge  of  God's 
existence,  and  that  God  punishes  the  wicked 
and  rewards  the  good,  he  cannot  have  such 
/a  supernatural  motive.  By  justification  we 
\  approach  God,  but  in  order  to  approach 
j  Him  we  must  first  know  that  He  exists; 
we  must  long  for  Him  as  a  reward.  We 
cannot  seek  God  without  knowing  that  He 
exists,  and  we  shall  not  seek  Him  unless  we 
expect  a  reward  from  Him  for  our  fidelity. 
These  two  things  must  therefore  be  believed 
explicitly  by  every  adult,  so  that  if  one  is 
ignorant  of  them,  he  cannot  be  saved  even 
if  it  be  without  his  fault  that  he  is  ignorant 
of  them.  Every  adult  must  believe  all  that 
God  has  revealed.  He  may  not  know  all 
that  God  has  revealed;  but  he  must  be  so 
disposed  that  he  is  willing  to  believe  all 
God  has  made  known,  and  he  must  try 
to  acquaint  himself  with  the  truths  He  has 
revealed,  especially  that  there  are  three  per- 


AND  FAITH   IN  PARTICULAR  129 

sons  in  God,  and  that  the  second  person 
became  man  and  died  to  redeem  us  from  sin. 
It  is  therefore  an  obligation  for  us  to  know 
the  Christian  doctrine,  so  that  if  we  are, 
through  our  own  fault,  ignorant  of  it,  we 
commit  sin,  and  are  not  worthy  of  heaven. 
It  is  also  of  the  greatest  importance  for  us 
to  listen  to  the  instructions  that  are  given 
us,  so  that  we  may  know  the  truths  we 
are  to  believe.  God  has  made  them  known 
to  us ;  if  He  has  thought  it  necessary  to  re- 
veal these  truths  to  us,  we  should  at  least 
think  it  equally  necessary  to  listen  to  His 
voice  and  to  learn  those  things  which  He 
has  found  it  necessary  to  teach  us. 

How  do  we  know  what  God  has  revealed? 
After  we  have  seen  the  importance  of  be- 
lieving all  that  God  has  revealed,  it  is  most 
necessary  to  know  where  we  can  find  those 
truths.  Christ  came  to  redeem  us  from  sin 
and  to  show  us  the  way  to  salvation.  Our 
Lord  suffered  and  died;  after  His  resurrec- 
tion He  ascended  into  heaven.  In  order  to 
give  a  guide  of  faith  to  those  who  were  to 


130  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN  GENERAL 

come  after  Him,  He  established  a  Church 
which  is  to  teach  all  people  in  His  name. 
The  Church  of  Christ,  or  the  Catholic  Church 
which  was  founded  by  Jesus,  is  the  ordinary 
means  by  which  men  are  to  know  the  truths 
revealed  by  God.  To  this  Church  all  must 
belong;  this  Church  all  must  obey.  "  He  that 
heareth  you,  heareth  Me,"^  said  Our  Lord 
to  the  apostles.  Although  God  may  make 
His  truths  known  in  some  extraordinary  way 
to  those  who  have  no  opportunity  of  hearing 
the  Church,  the  ordinary  way  for  all  people 
is  to  accept  the  teaching  of  the  Church  and 
to  believe  what  she  teaches  because  she 
teaches  in  the  name  of  Christ.  When  we 
recite  the  Apostles'  Creed  and  say,  "  I  be- 
lieve in  the  holy  Catholic  Church,"  we  pro- 
fess our  belief  in  all  tbat  God  has  revealed 
and  proposes  through  the  Church  for  our 
belief. 

%  We  see,  then,  that  faith  is  a  divine  virtue 
infused  into  the  soul  with  sanctifying  grace 
at  Baptism,  that  it  is  supernatural,   because 

1  Luke  10.  1 6. 


AND  FAITH   IN  PARTICULAR  131 

its  source  is  the  grace  of  God.  The  motive 
of  faith  must  be  the  truthfulness  of  God 
and  His  wisdom.  From  this  it  follows  that 
we  cannot  pass  judgment  upon  what  we  are 
to  believe,  and  that  we  must  believe  .all  that 
God  has  revealed,  for  His  truthfulness  stands 
for  all.  We  cannot  accept  some  truths  and 
reject  others.  We  must  believe,  even  though 
we  do  not  understand  the  truths  we  believe, 
otherwise  there  would  be  no  real  faith,  and 
such  acceptance  of  the  truth  would  be  with- 
out all  merit.  This  motive  of  belief,  the 
truthfulness  and  the  wisdom  of  God,  gives 
to  faith  a  greater  ^HJBJggSjiljgJ^  ^ven  the 
knowledge  which  we  have  naturally  can  give 
us,  because  God's  word  is  more  certain  than 
our  understanding:.  Faith  is  necessary  for 
salvation;  without  it  we  cannot  approach 
God.  Some  truths  we  must  believe  ex- 
plicitly, 2>.  we  must  know  them  and  believe 
them  —  such  as  that  God  exists  and  rewards 
the  good  and  punishes  the  wicked.  The^e 
we  must  know  to  be  saved.  Other  truths 
we  are  bound  to  know  under  pain  of  mortal 


132  INFUSED  VIRTUES   IN   GENERAL 

sin  —  such  as  the  principal  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity, that  there  are  three  persons  in  one 
God,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost;  that  the  Son  became  man  to  save 
us,  etc.  Finally,  we  must  believe  at  least 
implicitly,  Le.  be  ready  to  accept  all  that 
God  has  revealed  and  proposes  through  the 
Church  for  our  belief. 
XX  If  faith  is  so  necessary  for  us  that  without 
faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God,  we 
should  cultivate  this  virtue  by  frequent  acts 
of  faith,  we  should  make  ourselves  ac- 
quainted with  all  that  belongs  to  our  reli- 
gion, and  hence  be  regular  at  the  instructions 
given  concerning  the  things  we  are  to  be- 
lieve. We  must  pray  for  the  gift  of  faith 
and  say  with  the  apostles,  Increase  our  faith, 
O  Lord!^ 

1  Luke  17.  5. 


VI 

ON   HOPE   AND    CHARITY 

ON    HOPE 

What  is  hope  ? 
Hope  is  a  divine  virtue  by  which  we  firmly  trust  that 
God  will  give  us  eternal  life  and  the  means  to  obtain  it. 

In  Baptism  we  receive  sanctifying  grace  and 
with  it  the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity.  By  sanctifying  grace  we  are  justi- 
fied, that  is,  by  grace  our  sins  are  remitted, 
and  we  are  interiorly  sanctified,  we  are 
made  children  of  God,  and  heirs  of  heaven. 
As  children  of  God  we  receive  a  supernatural 
knowledge  of  Him  by  faith;  as  His  children 
and  heirs  of  heaven  we  receive  a  supernatural 
trust  in  Him,  so  that  we  hope  without  hesita- 
tion that  He  will  give  us  the  inheritance 
which  He  has  promised  to  His  children,  and 
will  give  us  also  the  necessary  grace  to  reach 
heaven,  as  God's  children,  destined  to  be  for- 
ever happy  through  the  mercy  of  God.  We 
are  given  a  supernatural  love  by  which  we 

133 


134  ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY 

love  Him  above  all  things.  These  virtues 
are  infused  into  the  soul  together  with  sanc- 
tifying grace  and  are  a  free  gift  of  God ; 
they  always  accompany  grace,  and  belong 
to  the  state  of  grace.  We  have  seen  what 
faith  is  and  how  necessary  it  is  for  salvation. 
Faith  is  the  foundation  of  hope.  Because 
through  faith  we  know  the  power  of  God  and 
His  infinite  mercy,  we  trust  in  His  fidelity, 
and  hence  hope  to  receive  the  reward  He 
has  promised  to  His  children,  as  also  the 
means  necessary  to  obtain  the  happiness 
God  has  promised  us. 

Like  faith,  hope  is  a  ^S^^Li^*  something 
permanent  put  into  our  souls,  not  merely  a 
passing,  momentary  act,  but  something  that 
remains  and  inclines  us  to  acts  of  hope.  It 
is  a  divme  virtue  because  it  comes  entirely 
from  Uod,  who  puts  it  into  our  souls  without 
our  having  deserved  it ;  it  has  God  for  its 
object,  in  as  much  as  we  hope  to  be  happy 
by  possessing  Him  for  all  eternity;  the 
motive,  too,  is  something  pertaining  to 
God,  namely  His  fidelity  to   His  promises. 


ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY  135 

God  has  promised  His  children  a  great 
reward ;  they  are  to  possess  Him  for  all 
eternity.  That  they  might  tend  toward 
Him,  as  their  ultimate  end,  He  has  infused 
into  their  souls,  together  with  sanctifying 
grace,  the  knowledge  of  Himself  and  the 
end  for  which  they  are  created,  and  has 
given  them  the  virtue  of  hope  to  reach  that 
end,  so  that  when  they  consider  the  great- 
ness of  God  and  their  own  littleness  they 
may  not  faint  by  the  wayside.  By  the 
virtue  of  hope  they  trust  firmly  that  God 
will  give  them  the  help  necessary  to  reach 
the  end  for  which  they  are  destined. 

By  the  divine  virtue  of  hope  we  trust 
£rmlv^2X  God  will  give  us  eternal  happi- 
ness and  the  means  to  obtain  it.  Hope  is 
therefore  a  firm  trust.  Its  motive  is  the 
fidelity  of  God  to  His  promises;  that  He 
can  fulfil  these  promises  we  know  from  His 
omnipotence.  By  one  word  He  made 
heaven  and  earth  out  of  nothing;  He  pre- 
serves them  continually  in  being,  and  rules 
all  things  by    His   providence.     He   is  all- 


136  ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY 

powerful ;  He  can  do  all  things ;  He  can, 
therefore,  also  make  us  supremely  happy  for 
all  eternity.  He  wishes  to  make  us  happy 
because  He  is  all-merciful  and  loves  us.  He 
has  shown  His  love  and  mercy  toward 
us  in  innumerable  ways:  He  has  created  us; 
when  we  fell  into  sin.  He  redeemed  us. 
^'  God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  His 
only-begotten  Son  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  Him,  may  not  perish,  but  may  have  life 
everlasting."^  Jesus  lived  for  thirty-three 
years  upon  the  earth,  "going  about  doing 
good  and  healing  all."  For  thirty-three 
years  He  instructed  us  in  the  way  of  sal- 
vation, and  gave  us  an  example  that,  as 
He  had  done  we  also  should  do.^  Finally 
He  offered  Himself  a  sacrifice  for  the  Re- 
demption of  the  world.  Surely  we  cannot 
doubt  His  love  and  mercy,  and  hence  His 
will  to  make  us  happy.  God  is  faithful  to 
fulfil  His  promises.  "  Let  us  hold  fast  the 
confession  of  our  hope  without  wavering  (for 
He  is  faithful  that  hath  promised)."^ 

*  John  3.  16.  2  John  13.  15.  «  Heb.  10.  23. 


ON   HOPE  AND  CHARITY  137 

Since,  then,  God's  fidelity  to  His  promises, 
founded  in  His  omnipotence  and  mercy 
toward  us,  is  the  motive  of"*bur  hope,  our 
hope  must  be  firm ;  it  is  infaUible  and  abso- 
lutely certain,  as  far  as  God  is  concerned. 
There  cannot  be  the  least  doubt  that  He 
wished  us  to  be  forever  happy  in  heaven ;  like- 
wise we  cannot  have  the  least  doubt  but 
that  He  is  all-powerful  and  therefore  able  to 
make  us  happy.  "  Hope  confoundeth  nof'^A 
We  know  that  "no  one  hath  hoped  in  the 
Lord  and  hath  been  confounded,"^  and  that 
"They  that  trust  in  the  Lord  shall  be  as. 
Mount  Sion :  he  shall  not  be  moved  forever."  ^ 
God  wishes  all  men  to  be  saved  and  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  His  Son ;  Hegives  every 
one  sufficient  grace,  so  that  no  one  need  be 
lost.  For  this  Christ  came  into  the  world, 
and  for  this  He  suffered  and  died  on  the 
cross.  On  account  of  the  certainty  it  gives 
us,  hope  is  often  compared  to  an  anchor. 
As  long  as  a  ship  is  held  by  its  anchor,  it 
can  resist  the  waves  and  the  storm  that  may 

1  Rom.  5.  5.         2  Ecclus.  2.  11.         «  Psalm  124.  I. 


138  ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY 

be  raging  around  it;  but  as  soon  as  it 
breaks  loose,  it  is  given  over  to  the  mercy 
of  the  storm.  So  it  is  with  hope;  as  long 
as  we  are  firm  in  hope,  we  will  fix  our  eyes 
upon  the  eternal  reward  promised  us,  and 
no  matter  how  strong  the  passions  may  be 
within  us,  or  how  much  the  world  may 
strive  to  lead  us  into  sin,  we  will  be  able  to 
resist  them.  If  passion  represents  to  us 
some  pleasure  of  the  senses,  divine  hope 
opposes  to  it  the  expectation  of  eternal 
happiness  which  we  are  sure  to  obtain  if  we 
are  faithful.  If  the  world  represents  some- 
thing to  us  as  valuable,  hope  points  to  God. 
Hope  shows  us  the  possession  of  God  Him- 
self and  eternal  happiness,  the  insignificance 
and  worthlessness  of  the  pleasures  and  of  the 
goods  of  this  world,  as  compared  to  God,  so 
that  heaven  at  once  appears  before  our  minds, 
and  we  are  preserved  from  sin,  because  by 
J^>.  hop^  we  are  ^%)jlVf<},  to,  God.  By  hope  we 
are  led  to  despise  the  pleasure  which  lasts 
but  a  moment,  in  order  to  obtain  the  happiness 
which  has  no  end.     The  omnipotence,  mercy, 


ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY  139 

and  fidelity  of  God  cannot  be  frustrated  ;  our 
hope,  that  God  will  make  us  happy  and  will 
give  us  the  necessary  means  to  reach  that  hap- 
piness, is  absolutely  certain.  God  will  cer- 
tainly keep  His  promises.  However,  we 
must  remember  that  He  has  not  promised 
to  give  us  heaven  without  our  doing  some- 
thing on  our  part  to  deserve  so  great  a 
reward.  He  has  promised  us  eternal  happi- 
ness if  we  are  faithful  to  Him.  "  If  thouw 
wilt  enter  into  life,  keep  the  command- 
ments."^ To  obtain  heaven  we  must  co- 
operate with  God's  grace ;  we  must  accept  it 
and  use  it  by  doing  good  works.  God  has 
given  us  free  will,  and  He  gives  us  His  grace 
so  that  we  can  do  that  which  is  pleasing  to 
Him.  However,  because  we  are  not  always 
certain  to  cooperate  with  the  grace  of  God,  it 
happens,  despite  the  certainty  which  divine 
hope  gives  us,  that  we  are  not  absolutely 
certain  of  going  to  heaven.  Hope  is  certain 
and  infallible  as  far  as  God  is  concerned ; 
He  will  certainly  give  us  the  necessary  grace, 
1  Matt.  19.  17. 


140  ON  HOPE  AND   CHARITY 

and  if  we  accept  this  grace,  He  will  cer- 
tainly give  us  heaven;  but  God  wishes  us 
to  show  our  good  will  and  fidelity  toward 
Him,  and  for  this-  reason  He  has  promised 
us  heaven  conditionally,  —  provided  we  co- 
operate with  His  grace  and  keep  the  com- 
mandments.  Now,  since  we  cannot  be 
certain  that  we  shall  always  do  all  that  is 
demanded  on  our  part,  it  follows  that  some 
uncertainty  remains  as  regards  our  final  sal- 
vation. For  this  reason  the  Apostle,  St.  Paul, 
-  warns  us,  "  With  fear  and  trembling  work  out 

Xour  salvation."^  Hope  does  not  cast  out 
fear ;  we  must  still  fear  lest  we  be  lost,  not 
because  God  will  be  unfaithful  to  His  prom- 
ises, but  because  we  are  not  certain  that  we 
shall  always  cooperate  with  the  grace  of  God. 
The  certainty  of  hope  comes  from  God ;  the 
uncertainty  and  fear  comes  from  us.  God  is 
faithful,  and  will  do  His  part  in  our  salvation ; 
but  we  are  weak  and  changeable,  and  may 
neglect  the  grace  which  God  gives  us. 

The   reformers   of  the   sixteenth  century 

^  Philip.  2.  12. 


'^> 


ON   HOPE  AND  CHARITY  141 

taught  that  we  must  have  absolute  assur- 
ance, that  we  are  just  and  belong  to  the 
number  of  the  elect,  and  that  by  this  assur- 
ance we  are  justified.  They  taught  that,  as 
long  as  one  had  such  assurance,  he  could  not 
be  lost.  The  Church  teaches  us  with  the 
Apostle  not  to  put  our  trust  in  our  own 
justice  but  in  God.  St.  Paul  said,  "  He  that 
thinketh  himself  to  stand,  let  him  take  heed 
lest  he  fall."  ^  We  should  fear,  not  that  God 
will  not  give  us  sufficient  grace  to  be  saved, 
but  lest  we  be  deficient  in  cooperating  with 
the  grace  of  God.  We  must  fear  our  own 
weakness  and  hence  watch  and  pray.  Assur- 
ance in  our  own  righteousness  will  not  save 
us.  "They  that  fear  the  Lord  have  hoped 
in  the  Lord:  He  is  their  helper  and  their 
protector."  ^ 

Hope  is  necessary  for  salvation.  The 
virtue  of  hope  is  infused  into  the  soul  with 
sanctifying  grace,  and  resides  in  the  soul 
with  grace.  As  it  is  irnpossible  to  be  saved 
without  grace,  so  it  is  impossible  to  obtain 

1 1  Cor.  10.  12.  2  p^alm  113.  11. 

\ 


142  ON   HOPE  AND  CHARITY 

salvation  without  the  virtue  of  divine  hope. 
If  we  have  not  the  virtue  of  hope,  we  have 
not  grace;  since  the  divine  virtues  always 
accompany  sanctifying  grace.  God  prom- 
ised the  eternal  happiness  of  heaven  in 
order  that,  by  hoping  to  obtain  it,  we  might 
the  better  be  moved  to  tend  toward  happi- 
ness. He  wishes  us,  therefore,  to  hope  for 
heaven  and  the  means  to  obtain  it.  If  we 
have  not  hope  in  God,  we  doubt  His  fidelity 
to  His  promises,  and  this  is  to  insult  and 
offend  Him.  To  obtain  grace  and  salvation, 
it  is  necessary  to  pray.  We  must  ask  God 
powerful  aid ;  but  how  could  we  pray 
properly,  unless  we  hoped  to  receive  the  gifts 
;for  which  we  are  asking?  We  see,  there- 
re,  that  hope  is  just  as  necessary  as  prayer, 
since  prayer  must  be  confident.  A  prayer, 
through  which  we  do  not  expect  to  receive 
what  we  ask,  is  no  prayer ;  it  is  an  insult  to 
God.  Hope  gave  strength  to  the  martyrs; 
had  they  not  had  Christian  hope  and  hence 
trusted  firmly  that  God  would  reward  them, 
they  would  never  have  been  able  to  bear  the 


ON   HOPE  AND  CHARITY  143 

sufferings  they  were  made  to  undergo  for 
the  sake  of  their  faith.  Hope  has  been  the 
power  that  sustained  all  true  Christians, 
and  led  them  to  lead  good  and  pious  lives. 
Without  hope  in  God  and  in  the  reward 
promised  to  them  that  love  Him,  they  would 
not  have  withstood  the  temptations  and  dan- 
gers of  the  world.  It  was  on  account  of  this 
that  they  lived  good  Christian  lives.  "We^ 
should  live  soberly,  and  justly  and  godly  in 
this  world,  looking  for  the  blessed  hope  "  was 
the  exhortation  of  St.  Paul  to  Titus.^  Hope 
will  also  be  our  strength  in  the  time  of  trial 
and  temptation;  then  we  too,  like  St.  Paul, 
shall  be  consoled  in  the  thought,  "that  the 
sufferings  of  this  time  are  not  worthy  to 
be  compared  with  the  glory  to  come,  that 
shall  be  revealed  in  us."  ^ 

1  Titus  2.  12, 13.  2  Rom.  8.  18. 


144  ON  HOPE  AND  CHARITY 

ON   DIVINE   CHARITY 

What  is  charity  ? 

Charity  is  a  divine  virtue  by  which  we  love  God  above 
all  things  for  His  own  sake,  and  our  neighbor  as  ourselves 
for  the  love  of  God. 

Charity  is  a  divine  virtue ;  it  comes  from 
God.  Charity  is  not  a  natural  but  a  super- 
natural love  of  God,  By  reason  of  our 
natural  powers  we  can  love  God  as  our 
,  creator  and  our  last  end;  but  this  love  is 
*  infinitely  below  the  love  of  God  which  comes 
through  the  virtue  of  charity.  It  differs  as 
the  love  of  a  servant  differs  from  that  of  a 
^on.  A  servant  may  love  his  master,  but  he 
will  not  dare,  like  the  child,  to  run  up  to  him 
and  embrace  him ;  he  loves  him,  so  to  speak, 
from  a  distance,  whereas  the  child  is  closely 
united  to  the  father  and  feels  happy  in  his 
embrace.  By  our  natural  reason  we  know 
God  to  exist,  and  we  know  that  He  has 
created  us.  On  account  of  this  we  are 
entirely  His,  we  belong  to  Him,  we  are  His 
slaves,  since  we  owe  our  being  to  Him.     By 


ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY  145 

faith  we  know  that  from  slaves  He  has  made 
us  sons  and  heirs.  Likewise  by  our  natural 
powers  we  can  and  should  love  Him  as  our 
master;  by  the  virtue  of    divine  charity  we   . 

love  Him  as  our  Father.     This  love  of  God  * 

^i,^ .  -    ■  ... 

differs  from  the  natural  love  which  we  can 
have  for  God  as  much  as  heaven  differs  from 
earth,  or  as  God,  whose  gift  charity  is,  differs 
from  man.  Charity,  like  faith  and  hope,  is 
infused  into  the  soul  as  a  free  gift  of  God ; 
it  is  undeserved.  No  work  of  a  creature  can 
merit  the  gift  of  divine  charity.  "  The^ 
charity  of  God  is  poured  forth  in  our  hearts 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  is  given  to  us."  ^ 

By  the  divine  virtue  of  charity  we  love  God 
above  all  other  objects  because  He  is  all-good 
hi  Himself  and  worthy  of  our  love.  Good- 
ness and  excellence  move  us  to  love.  God 
is  all-perfect.  He  is  all-good.  He  is  all-beauti- 
ful. He  is  to  be  our  happiness  for  eternity. 
These  perfections  of  God  we  know  through 
divine  faith;  through  faith  we  know  the 
supernatural  goodness  of  God  toward  us. 
1  Rom.  5.  5- 

L 


146  ON  HOPE  AND   CHARITY 

God's  goodness  known  supernaturally  is, 
therefore,  the  object  of  divine  charity  or  love. 
Charity  incHnes  our  hearts  to  love  God 
above  all  other  things  so  that  we  are  pre- 
pared rather  to  lose  all  than  to  be  separated 
from  God,  the  highest  good.  The  love  of 
God  will  make  us  detest  sin  because  sin  is 
opposed  to  God ;  it  will  make  us  do  the  will 
of  God  and  keep  His  commandments.  "  If 
/^any  man  love  Me  he  will  keep  My  command- 
ments," said  Our  Lord. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  means  to.  arouse 
in  us  the  love  of  God  is  to  consider  His 
mercy  and  §joodng§s^  toward  us.  He  has 
called  us  to  be  His  children,  and  gives  us 
continually  the  supernatural  help  of  grace 
to  make  ourselves  worthy  sons  of  God. 
When  man  had  sinned  and  was  entirely 
helpless  to  rise  of  himself  from  sin,  God  sent 
His  only-begotten  Son  to  become  man  and 
redeem  us  from  sin  and  death.  "God  so 
loved  the  world  as  to  give  His  only-begotten 
Son:  .  .  .  that  the  world  may  be  saved  by 
Him."  ^     If  He  has  loved  us  so  much,  should 

1  John  3.  16,  17. 


ON   HOPE   AND  CHARITY  147 

we  not  also  love  Him  ?  St.  Augustine  says 
that  if  we  were  slow  to  love  God,  we  should 
at  least  now  not  be  slow  to  love  Him  in 
return.  Charity  will  move  us  to  love  God 
on  account  of  His  infinite  perfections,  and 
among  these  His  mercy  toward  us  appeals 
most  strongly  to  our  hearts.  His  love 
toward  us  leads  us  to  gratitude,  and  from 
gratitude  we  easily  proceed  to  love.  This 
motive  St.  Paul  proposes  to  us  when  he 
says,  "  The  charity  of  God  presseth  us  .  .  . 
Christ  died  for  all,  that  they  also  who  live,  a 
may  not  now  live  to  themselves  but  unto 
Him  who  died  for  them  and  rose  again."  ^ 
Jesus  is  God,  and  if  we  love  Jesus,  we 
love  God.  We  can  therefore  be  moved  to 
divine  love  most  effectually  in  considering 
God  in  Jesus,  the  God- Man.  That  men 
might  be  more  effectually  moved  to  love 
God,  "  The  goodness  and  kindness  of  God 
our  Saviour  appeared:  not  by  the  works  of 
justice  which  we  have  done,  but  according 
to  His  mercy,  He  saved  us."^  How  easy 
God  has  made  charity,  which  is  the  first  and 
1  2  Cor.  5.  14, 15.  2  Titus  3.  4;  5- 


148  ON  HOPE  AND  CHARITY 

highest  command,  in  letting  us  contemplate 
the  goodness  of  God  in  the  Child  laid  for  our 
sake  in  the  crib  of  Bethlehem ;  in  Our  Lord's 


going  about  instructing  the  people  and 
healing  the  sick,  for  our  sake  carrying  the 
heavy  cross  and  dying  upon  it !  Such  love 
cannot  but  arouse  our  love  in  return. 

The  love  of  God  must  be  above  the  love  of 
all  other  thhigs.  God  is  most  perfect,  and  the 
perfections  of  all  other  things  are  from  Him. 
He  is  our  last  end ;  all  other  things  are  given 
us  only  as  means  to  reach  this  end.  This 
requires  that  we  value  God  above  all  created 
things.  It  may  happen  that  because  we  do 
not  see  God,  and  created  things  are  present 
to  us,  that  we  seem  to  love  them  more  in- 
tensely; thus  we  might  be  tempted  to  think 
that  we  love  our  parents  more  than  God. 
Intensity  is  not  required  for  the  love  of  God 
above  all  things.  A  man  who  is  suffering 
greatly  from  thirst  may  desire  a  drink  of 
water  with  more  intensity  than  he  desires  a 
large  sum  of  money,  and  still  he  may  not 
wish  to  give  that  sum  of  money  for  a  drink 


ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY  149 

of  water.  He  still  values  the  sum  of  money 
more  than  a  glass  of  water ;  so,  also,  we  may 
love  some  person  more  intensely  than  God, 
and  yet  not  be  ready  to  offend  God  to  please 
that  person.  If  this  is  the  case,  we  love  God 
more  than  that  person ;  we  are  ready  to  lose 
that  person  rather  than  lose  God  by  offend- 
ing Him  by  sin.  Our  love  of  God  shows 
itself  in  the  observance  of  the  command- 
ments and  the  avoidance  of  sin.  When  we 
keep  the  commandments  and  avoid  sin,  we 
prefer  God  and  His  holy  will  to  all  the 
pleasures  of  creatures;  we  prefer  Him  to 
possessing  things  which  we  cannot  obtain 
without  offending  Him;  we  prefer  God  to 
unlawful  pleasure;  we  prefer  God  to  our 
own  will  and  inclinations.  This  is  to  love 
God  above  all  things. 

Charity  makes  us  love  God  above  all 
things  on  account  of  His  infinite  goodness 
and  perfections,  but  it  also  makes  us  love  our 
neighbor  as  ourselves  for  the  love  of  God, 
If  we  love  another  on  account  of  his  natural 
excellence  and  goodness,  we  love  him  by  a 


.^^■t.^ 


ISO  ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY 

natural   love;   charity  is  supernatural.     We 

must   love   him   out   of    some   supernatural 

motive;  then  we  love  him  for  the  sake  of 

God.     If  we  like  to  associate  with  another 

j^because  he  is  kind  and  congenial,  pur  love  is 

\a  natural  one:    we  should  love  all   because 

;we  love  God,  and  God  wishes  them  all  to  be 

■  His  children.     He  calls  them  all  to  be  eter- 

Mially  happy  with   Him   in   heaven.     When 

we  love  any  one  we  wish  him  good ;  so  by 

the  love  of   God  we  take  delight   in   God's 

perfections,  and  wish  that  they  be  known  and 

praised  by  all  creatures.     In  like  manner  we 

should   love    our   neighbor,   i.e,   all   people. 

We   should   wish    them    supernatural   good 

because  this  is  God's  will.     God  loves  them, 

and  by  that  love  they  become  the  friends  of 

God,  and,  if  we  love  God,  we  must  also  love 

His   friends.     We    see   from   this    that   our 

charity  toward  our  neighbor  is  founded  on 

his  friendship  with   God.     In  our  neighbor 

we  love  the  image  of   God  whom  we  love 

above   all    things.     A    child    that   loves   its 

parents  will  also  love  the  picture  of  its  par- 


ON   HOPE  AND   CHARITY  151 

ents.  We  are  children  of  God,  and  by  grace 
the  picture  or  image  of  God  is  in  a  super- 
natural way  impressed  upon  the  just.  For 
the  sake  of  the  friendship  which  exists  be- 
tween God  and  the  just  we  love  them  also. 
They  are  children  of  God  as  we  are,  and, 
therefore,  they  are  our  brothers.  God  is  the 
cause  of  our  loving  them. 

Do  zve  by  divine  charity  love  only  the  just 
who  are  in  the  grace  of  God^  and  hence  are  His 
children^  and  not  also  those  that  are  in  a  state 
of  sin  ?  No,  we  also  love  the  sinners ;  not 
in  as  much  as  they  are  sinners,  but  in  as 
much  as  they  are  men,  and  are  called  to  be 
children  of  God.  God  wishes  them  to  detest 
sin  and  return  to  Him ;  He  wants  them  to 
be  forever  happy  with  Him  in  heaven. 
We,  as  God's  friends,  wish  the  same  as  He 
does  j^  we  wish  them  supernatural  grace  ^nd^ 
happiness.  They  are  called  to  be  friends  of 
God,  and  we  love  them  and  wish  them  that 
friendship.  As  sinners  we  do  not  love  them, 
ix,  we  hate  sin,  and  by  sin  they  are  enemies 
of  God;  but  because  they  are  called  to  be 


152  ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY 

saints  and  friends  of  God,  and  it  is  the  will 
of  God  that  they  become  His  friends,  we 
unite  our  will  with  God's,  and  do  all  in  our 
power  that  the  will  of  God  be  done^  This 
love  of  our  neighbor  is  commanded  by  God. 
When  a  Pharisee  asked  Our  Lord,  "  Master, 
which  is  the  great  commandment  in  the 
law  ?  Jesus  said  to  him :  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord,  thy  God,  with  thy  whole  heart,  and 
with  thy  whole  soul,  and  with  thy  whole 
mind.  This  is  the  greatest  and  the  first  com- 
mandment; and  the  second  is  like  to  this: 
Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."^ 
StJ^h^  puts  the^  characteristic  of  charity  in^ 
ove  of  the  neighbor.  He  says  that  we  know 
that  if  we  love  our  neighbors,  we  have 
charity,  and  therefore  the  grace  of  God,  since 
^they  cannot  be  separated.  "We  know  that 
we  have  passed  from  death  to  life,  because 
we  love  the  brethren.  He  that  loveth  not 
(the  brethren)  abideth  in  death.  Whosoever 
hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer,  and  you 
know   that    no   murderer   hath   eternal   life 

^  Matt.  22.  36-39. 


ON   HOPE  AND   CHARITY  153 

abiding  in  himself."^  We  cannot  love  God 
without  loving  also  our  neighbor  because,  if 
we  love  God,  we  are  willing  to  do  His  will, 
and  we  will  then  also  keep  His  commandment 
of  love;  if  we  love  God,  we  will  love  those 
whom  He  loves,  His  friends.  If  we  love""  '^ 
God,  we  love  His  image ;  and  this  is  found  in 
every  soul,  endowed  with  intellect  and  free 
will,  and  still  more  in  one  washed  in  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  made  by  grace  con- 
formable to  the  image  of  the  Son  of  God.^ 

T/^e  divine  virtue  of  charity  is  absolutely         ^ 
necessaiy   for    salvation.       Without    grace '^;,^.^ 
there  is  no  justification,  and  we  cannot  have 
grace  and  justification  without  the  virtue  of 
divine  charity.     It  is  so  intimately  connected 
with  grace  that  many  consider  it  to  be  the 
§|me^as  grace.     Charity  does  not  remain  ir 
the  soul  when  it  is  deprived  of  sanctifying 
grace  through  mortal  sin.     By  grace  we  be- 
come children  of  God,  and  we  cannot  be  His 
children  without  loving  Him.     One  who  is 
without  sanctifying  grace   is   an   enemy   of 

1 1  John  3.  14.  *  Rom.  8.  29. 


154  ON   HOPE  AND  CHARITY 

God,  and  hence  cannot  at  the  same  time 
have  the  love  of  God  which  would  unite  him 
to  God  as  His  friend.  If  we  have  divine 
charity,  we  will  also  love  our  neighbor,  since 
divine  charity  makes  us  love,  not  only  God, 
but  also  those  whom  He  loves,  and  God 
loves  the  just,  and  His  love  pursues  the  sin- 
ner that  he  be  converted  and  live. 

Of  all  the  virtues  the  most  excellent  is 
charity.  Of  this  St.  Paul  assures  us  saying, 
j^  "if  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of 
angels,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  become  as 
sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal ;  and  if 
I  should  have  prophecy,  and  should  know  all 
mysteries,  and  all  knowledge :  and  if  I  should 
have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  moun- 
tains, and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing; 
and  if  I  should  distribute  all  my  goods  to  feed 
the  poor,  and  if  I  should  deliver  my  body  to 
be  burned  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth 
me  nothing.  .  .  .  Now  there  remain  faith, 
hope  and  charity:  these  three;  but  the 
greater  of  these  is  charity."  ^    Our  Lord,  as  we 

1  I  Cor.  13.  I  seqq. 


ON   HOPE  AND   CHARITY  155 

have  seen,  called  the  commandment  of  char- 
ity the  greatest  and  first  commandment. 
^All  other  commandments  are  summed  up  in 
this,  —  if  we  love  God,  we  obey  Him;  if  we 
love  Him,  we  love  our  neighbor,  and  hence 
will  not  do  him  any  injustice ;  if  we  love  God, 
we  will  love  to  go  to  Mass  and  to  receive  the 
sacraments ;  we  will  not  injure  any  one  in  his 
life,  possessions,  or  good  name;  if  we  love 
God,  we  will  avoid  everything  that  might  sully 
the  purity  of  our  souls  and  make  them  dis- 
pleasing in  the  eyes  of  God.  We  might  say 
with  St.  i^ugiJL^ne,  "  Love  God  and  do  as 
vou  please,"  because  if  we  love  God  we  will 
not  do  anything  except  the  will  of  God. 
Charity  unites  us  with  God  and  renders  us 
His  friends ;  its  object  is  God  in  His  perfec- 
tions. God  also  is  the  object  of  the  other 
divine  virtues,  but  the  motive  is  different,  as 
by  faith  we  know  God,  and  by  hope  we  tend 
toward  Him.  God  is  the  object  of  these 
virtues,  inasmuch  as  through  Him  we 
receive  the  knowledge  of  the  highest  truth, 
and  we  are  made  happy  by  the  possession  of 


156  ON   HOPE  AND   CHARITY 

the  highest  good.     In  charity,  however,  we 
rest  in  God ;  God's  perfections  in  themselves 
are  its  motive.     We  love  God  for  His  own 
sake  and  not  only  because  He  will  constitute 
our  happiness.     We  may  love  God,  it  is  true, 
because  He  is  infinitely  good  to  us,  but  His 
goodness   is   a   perfection    which   we    know 
through  His  goodness  toward  us ;  we  will 
still   love    Him   for  His   perfections.     It   is 
through  His  mercy  and  goodness  to  us  that 
we  come  to  understand  better  His  infinite 
goodness.     Charity  is  the  perfection  of  all 
other   virtues;    without    charity,    faith    and 
hope  may  be  found  in  the  soul,  but  without 
charity  they  are  dead  and  cannot  bring  any 
.one  to  eternal  life.     Cliarity  is  the  life  of  the 
other  virtues ;  it  directs  them  to  their  proper 
end.    Without  charity  no  one  is  really  vir- 
tuous and  pleasing  to  God ;  with  charity  he 
becomes  a  child  and  intimate  friend  of  Gorfl 
[Faith  is  the  root  and  foundation  of  justifick- 
Ition,  but  charity  is  the  life  which  makes  ut 
jlive ;  without  charity  the  root  will  not  bring 
[forth  the  fruit  of  good  works,  and  faith  witlij- 


^    m 


ON  HOPE  AND  CHARITY  157 

out  works  is  dead  in  itself.  Charity  gives 
value  and  merit  to  good  works ;  without  char- 
ity we  can  do  good,  but  nothing  that  is  meri- 
torious of  heaven.  St.  Bernard^  says,  "  The 
soul  is  the  life  of  the  body,  through  it  the 
body  moves  and  feels ;  charity  is  the  life  of 
faith  because  'faith  worketh  by  charity,'  as 
we  read  in  the  apostle/  Hence,  when  char- 
ity  grows  cold,  faith  dies,  as  the  body  dies 
when  the  soul  leaves  it."^  Charity  is  the 
perfection  of  faith  and  hope.  By  charity  we 
are  united  to  God ;  in  the  closest  friendship 
we  embrace  Him  whom  we  know  by  faith. 
By  charity  we  obtain,  even  here  upon  earth, 
the  possession  of  that  supreme  good  which 
we  hope  for  in  heaven.  Faith  and  hope  may 
remain  in  one  who  has  lost  the  sonship  of 
God,  but  charity  can  be  possessed  only  by 
the  children  of  God.  It  is  so  precious  that 
its  possession  marks  us  out  as  sons  of  God 
and  heirs  of  heaven.  "  There  is  nothing 
sweeter  than  love,  nothing  stronger,  nothing 
higher,  nothing  wider,  nothing  more  pleas- 

*  Gal.  5.  6.  2  In  resurrect,  serm.  2. 


IS8  ON  HOPE   AND  CHARITY 

ing,  nothing  fuller,  nothing  better  in  heaven 
or  on  earth,  because  love  is  born  in  God  and 
rests  in  God  alone.  ...  A  great  cry  in  the 
ears  of  God  is  the  ardent  affection  of  the  soul 
which  says,  thou  art  my  God,  my  love,  my 
all,  and  I  am  all  thine."  ^ 

^z"*  Divine  charity  elevates  our  nature,  and 
makes  us  participate  in  the  divine  nature;  it 
elevates  our  natural  affection,  and  makes  it  a 
divine  affection.  As  long  as  we  have  only 
natural  love  we  love  ourselves  and  our 
neighbor  for  our  sake,  but  divine  charity 
makes  us  love  God  for  His  sake,  and  our- 
selves and  others  for  the  sake  of  God. 
Through  grace  and  charity  we  are  united  in 
a  wonderful  manner  with  God;  we  live  in 
Him ;  our  life  in  the  supernatural  order  is  a 
life  in  God,  so  that  we  can  say  with  St.  Paul, 

A"  I  live  now,  not  I :  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  ^ 
If  through  grace  God  becomes  our  life, 
through  charity  His  love  becomes  our  love, 
so  that  we  love  Him  with  the  love  with 
which    He   loves    Himself.     As   God   loves 

1  De  Im.  3.  5.  2  Qai.  2.  20. 


ON  HOPE  AND  CHARITY  159 

Himself  and  us  on  account  of  Himself,  so,  if 
we  have  divine  charity,  shall  we  love  God  for 
His  own  sake,  and  ourselves  and  others  for 
the  sake  of  God  whose  image  man  is.  With 
this  divine  love  all  other  affections  must 
harmonize ;  no  other  love  can  interfere.  Just 
as  the  light  of  the  sun  penetrates  the  air  and 
turns  all  into  light,  so  divine  charity  must 
penetrate  our  whole  being  and  dominate  all 
our  actions.  This  is  what  we  should  strive 
for,  that  we  do  everything  out  of  the  love  of 
God ;  that  divine  charity  be  the  main-spring 
of  all  our  actions.  It  is  true  this  perfection 
is  not  reached  here  upon  earth.  There  are 
many  things  in  our  lives  that  are  imperfect 
and  do  not  spring  from  the  love  of  God; 
there  are  even  things  that  are  sinful  and  hence 
opposed  to  the  love  of  God.  These  imper- 
fections and  venial  sins,  however,  should  not 
keep  us  from  striving  for  that  perfection  which 
is  demanded  by  reason  of  divine  charity.  We 
shall  possess  this  perfection  in  its  fulness  in 
heaven.  There  all  our  thoughts  and  desires 
shall  be  absorbed  by  the  love  of  God ;  here 


i6o  ON  HOPE  AND  CHARITY 

upon  earth  we  can  strive  for  it  and  approach 
it  more  and  more.  By  grace  we  are  born 
for  heaven ;  heaven  is  the  home  of  the  children 
of  God.  Here  we  have  that  divine  Hfe  only 
imperfectly;  the  perfection  is  reserved  for 
heaven,  where  we  "  shall  see  God  as  He  is," 
and  be  drawn  toward  Him  with  an  irresist- 
ible love,  —  a  love  that  shall  absorb  our  whole 
being  and  make  us  unspeakably  happy. 
«5^/**5^.^hrough  the  grace  of  justification  God  not 
*miTy  remits  all  the  sins  that  we  have  com- 
mitted and  makes  us  His  children,  giving  us 
at  the  same  time  a  right  to  heaven,  but  He 
also  infuses  into  our  souls  the  divine  virtues 
of  faith,  hope,  and  charity.  By  faith,  He 
raises  our  natural  power  of  understanding  to 
the  supernatural  order,  and  makes  us  know 

*  eternal  truths,  which  we  cannot  reach  by  the 

•  natural  power  of  our  intellect.  He  reveals 
to  us  the  greatness  and  majesty  of  His  being; 
by  the  light  of  our  reason  we  can,  through 
the  contemplation  of  the  world,  come  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  existence  of  God,  but  his- 
tory shows  us  how  the  pagans,  who  had  only 


ON   HOPE   AND   CHARITY  i6i 

their  own  reason  to  guide  them,  fell  into  all 
sorts  of  errors  concerning  God,  even  in 
those  matters  that  can  be  known  by  the  light 
of  reason.  Besides  these  truths  God  has 
made  known  to  us  the  greatness  of  His 
being,  —  that  He  is  one  God  in  three  persons  ; 
that  in  His  infinite  love  and  mercy  He  sent 
His  only  Son  to  become  man  and  redeem  us 
from  sin.  These  and  many  other  truths 
we  know  by  faith,  and  faith  only.  Hope 
puts  before  our  mind  a  reward  of  which  no 
man  could  have  dreamed,  —  a  reward  so  great 
that  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor 
hath  it  come  into  the  heart  of  man  to  con- 
ceive." By  natural  reason  we  know  that  our 
soul  is  immortal ;  that  it  cannot  die.  We 
know,  too,  that  God  rewards  the  good  and 
punishes  the  wicked ;  but  how  could  we  expect 
that  God  Himself  would  be  "  our  reward  ex- 
ceeding great."  This  comes  to  us  through  the 
divine  virtue  of  hope  infused  into  our  souls 
with  sanctifying  grace.  Our  will,  instructed 
by  the  light  of  the  intellect,  can  tend  toward 
God  in  love,  but  that  love  is  only  the  love  of  a 


i62  ON  HOPE  AND  CHARITY 

slave  toward  his  master,  on  whom  he  depends 
in  his  very  being.  The  divine  virtue  of  charity 
makes  us  love  God  as  our  Friend;  it  unites 
us  to  God  as  our  Father.  It  is  the  love  of 
the  children  of  God,  to  which  natural  love 
cannot  be  compared.  These  divine  virtues 
are  in  our  soul,  together  with  sanctifying 
grace  from  which  they  spring ;  they  are  to 
make  us  true  sons  of  our  heavenly  Father ; 
they  are  to  bring  us  to  Him.  In  heaven, 
which  shall  be  our  inheritance  forever,  they 
shall  be  perfected.  Faith  shall  end  in  vision  ; 
what  we  now  believe  we  shall  then  see.  Hope 
shall  end  in  possession;  love  shall  be  per- 
fected and  fill  our  whole  being.  In  this  shall 
consist  our  happiness  for  ages  without  end,  — 
.  ^the  happiness  of  the  sons  of  God.  "  Om- 
nipotent, eternal  God,  give  us  an  increase  of 
faith,  hope,  and  charity,  and  that  we  may 
merit  what  thou  hast  promised ;  make  us  love 
what  thou  commandest."  ^ 

1  Oratio-Dora.  XIII  post  Pent. 


VII 


Nothing  defiled  can  enter  heaven.  Any 
one  whose  soul  has  on  it  the  stain  of  original 
sin  or  of  any  actual  sin,  is  excluded  from  the 
happiness  of  heaven.  Before  such  a  one  can 
enter  heaven  he  must  be  justified.  This  jus- 
tification begins  with  the  actual  grace  of 
God,  illumining  the  understanding  and  mov- 
ing the  will.  But  the  grace  of  God  will  not 
do  all.  Man,  too,  must  cooperate ;  he,  too, 
must  do  something.  With  the  grace  of  God 
he  must  believe,  hope,  begin  to  love  God,  and 
repent  of  his  sins.  Thus  prepared  he  must 
receive  the  sacrament  of  Baptism  or,  if  he  be 
already  baptized,  the  sacrament  of  Penance. 
By  these  sacraments  he  receives  sanctifying 
grace  which  justifies  him. 

163 


i64  ON   THE   STATE  OF   GRACE 

By  Baptism  man  is  cleansed  from  original 
sin  as  well  as  from  any  other  sin  that  he  may 
have  committed  before  Baptism.  Besides  the 
remission  of  sin  he  also  receives  the  remission 
.  of  all  punishments  due  to  sin,  so  that  "  there 
is  now  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are 
in  Christ  Jesus,"  ^  nothing  that  is  displeas- 
ing to  God,  nothing  that  would  prevent  his 
entering  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  im- 
mediately, should  he  die  at  that  time.  This 
is  not  all ;  besides  the  cleansing  from  sin, 
Baptism  does  also  something  positive.  By 
Baptism  man  is  born  anew;  he  is  made  a 
child  of  God,  an  heir  of  heaven,  a  member  of 
His  holy  Church.  How  is  this  all  brought 
about  .f*  By  sanctifying  grace.  Through 
Baptism  the  Holy  Ghost  pours  into  the  soul 
sanctifying  grace  together  with  the  divine 
virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity.  Sanctify- 
ing grace  works  an  entire  renovation  in  the 
souls  of  those  that  are  baptized.  By  it  the 
sinner  becomes  just ;  his  sins  are  not  merely 
covered  over,  but  entirely  blotted  out  and 

iRom.  8.  I. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       165 

forgiven,  so  that  nothing  of  the  former  state 
remains  that  would  demand  the  punishment 
of  God.  Since  there  is  in  Baptism  a  new 
birth,  and  we  are  born  of  God,  we  become 
sons  of  God,  and  "if  sons,  heirs  also:  heirs 
indeed  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ."  ^ 
If  any  one  commits  a  mortal  sin  after  Bap- 
tism, he  loses  the  grace  of  God  and  with 
that  all  supernatural  justification ;  he  ceases 
to  be  an  object  of  pleasure  in  the  sight  of 
God,  and  is  no  longjer  His  child ;  he  loses  hisv  ,.r5U^ 
right  to  the  inheritance  of  heaven.  If  he  ^-'"''*  *^ 
should  die  in  this  state,  he  would  be  lost  for- 
ever. To  escape  so  terrible  a  condition  he 
must  do  penance  and  confess  his  sins. 
Through  the  sacrament  of  Penance,  he 
can  regain  the  state  of  grace  lost  by  sin. 
Through  the  sacrament  of  Penance  he  can 
once  more  become  a  child  of  God  and  have 
restored  to  him  the  right  to  his  inheritance. 
To  him  God  will  say,  This  my  son  was . 
dead,  behold  he  liveth ;  he  was  lost,  and  be- 
hold he  is  found.^ 

1  Rom.  8.  17.  3  Luke  15.  32. 


i66  ON  THE   STATE  OF  GRACE 

Sanctifying  grace  is  not,  like  actual  grace, 
something  given  only  for  a  short  time  and 
then  passing  away;  no,  it  remains  in  the 
soul ;  it  inheres  in  it ;  it  is  something  perma- 
nent. Sa7ictifying  grace  puts  the  soul  in  a 
state  of  freedom  from  sin^  and  gives  super- 
natural holiness  and  justice.  For  this  reason 
we  say  of  one  who  has  obtained  sanctifying 
erace,  that  he  is  in  a  state  of  grace,  or 
that  he  has  sanctifying  grace  *  that  it  dwells 
in  his  soul,  or  that  his  soul  is  adorned 
with  sanctifying  grace.  God  cannot  give  us 
a  greater  gift  than  sanctifying  grace.  Hence 
the  Apostle,  St.  Paul,  admonishes  us  to  give 
.  thanks.  «***'  Giving  thanks  to  God  the  Father, 
who  hath  made  us  worthy  to  be  partakers  of 
the  lot  of  the  saints  in  light:  who  hath  de- 
livered us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
hath  translated  us  into  the  kingdom  of  the 
Son  of  His  love,  in  whom  we  have  redemption 
through  His  blood,  the  remission  of  sins: 
who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the 
first-born  of  every  creature;"^  that  is,  be- 
fore any  creature  was  made,  the  Son  of  God 
1  Col.  1. 12-15. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       167 

was.  Through  the  sacraments  we  receive 
the  fruits  of  the  Redemption,  that  is,  we  re- 
ceive the  remission  of  our  sins,  and  of  the 
punishment  due  to  sin;  we  are  born  anew, 
and  so  become  like  to  Jesus,  and  are  made 
worthy  of  the  inheritance  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Grace,  as  St.  Thomas  says,  is  the 
l^epjinnin^  of  ^^^lory,  ]ust  p^^^^^ej:om^ 
pletion  of  grace.  The  perfect  union  of  God 
with  the  creature  and  the  happiness  of 
heaven  is  a  consequence  of  grace,  which  will 
surely  follow,  if  it  is  not  impeded  by  mortal 
sin.  The  smallest  degree  of  sanctifying 
grace  is  the  beginning  of  this  union  with 
God.  Grace  is  the  pledge  of  eternal  life 
and  tl^c  seed  from  which  it  springs.  As  man 
is  created  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God, 
so  by  his  second  birth  he  is  conformed  to  the 
image  of  His  Son  and  made  a  child  of  God. 
As  long  as  we  possess  sanctifying  grace  we 
carry  in  our  hearts  a  ffriceless  treasure: 
^race  is  worth  as  much  as  God  Himself, 
since  it  is  through  grace  that  we  come  into 
the  possession  of  God.     Through  grace  we 


i68  ON  THE   STATE  OF  GRACE 

are  made  one  spirit  with  God,  as  St.  Paul 
t^  says,  "  He  who  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one 
spirit."  ^  We  adhere  to  God,  when  we  are 
united  to  Him  by  grace.  Sanctifying  grace 
is  that  treasure  of  which  the  gospel  speaks,  — 
the  treasure  hidden  in  a  field,  for  which  we 
give  all,  that  we  might  acquire  the  field.  It 
is  the  greatest  wealth ;  we  should  ever  strive 
for  it  because  it  is  a  treasure  which  cannot 
be  stolen  nor  destroyed  by  moths.  No  mat- 
ter how  poor  a  man  may  be  in  this  world's 
goods,  if  he  possess  sanctifying  grace,  he  is 
immeasurably  wealthy  ;  and  if  a  man  possess 
all  the  goods  of  the  world  and  is  without 
sanctifying  grace,  he  is  poor,  indeed,  and  de- 
^i^serves  our  pity.  "  For  what  doth  it  profit  a 
man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  suffer 
the  loss  of  his  own  soul  ? "  ^  The  greatest 
loss  that  any  soul  can  suffer  is  the  loss 
of  sanctifying  grace,  which  is  the  very  life 
of  the  soul. 
T^  This  divine  treasure  of  grace  makes  us 
truly  happy  and    contented.  ^.   We    see    so 

1 1  Cor.  6.  17.  2  Matt.  16.  26. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       169 

many  people  who  possess  all  they  can 
reasonably  desire,  and  still  are  not  happy. 
Not  so  he  who  possesses  the  grace  of  God. 
He  has  internal  peace,  —  the  peace  of  the 
heart;  nothing  can  disturb  him  because  he 
knows  that  God  loves  him,  and  he  desires 
no  more.  This  peace  and  happiness  is  a 
foretaste  of  the  happiness  of  heaven  which 
consists  in  seeing  and  possessing  God.  It 
is  true  the  saints  in  heaven  are  still  happier 
because  their  union  with  God  is  more  inti- 
mate and  they  are  in  no  danger  of  losing 
God  for  all  eternity.  We,  on  the  contrary, 
are  always  in  danger  of  losing  sanctifying 
grace,  for  "  We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen 
vessels."^  We  are  on  the  way  to  our  eternal 
home,  and,  as  long  as  we  have  not  yet  arrived 
there,  "  The  evil  spirits  beset  our  way  like 
robbers  "  ^  and  try  to  deprive  us  of  the  valu- 
able treasure  which  we  have.  We  must, 
therefore,  take  the  advice  of  the  Apostle, 
"  See,  therefore,  brethren,  how  you  walk  cir-  ^  , 
cumspectly ;  not  as   unwise,  but   as   wise."^ 

1  2  Cor.  4.  7.        2  St.  Greg.  Horn.  11.        «  Eph.  5.  15. 


I70  ON  THE   STATE  OF   GRACE 

No  one  can  take  the  treasure  of  sanctifying 
grace  from  us  against  our  will ;  we  can  lose 
it  only  if  we  give  it  up  of  our  own  accord. 
•/•A "Who  then  shall  separate  us  from  the  love 
of  Christ  ?  shall  tribulation  ?  or  distress  ?  or 
famine  ?  or  nakedness  ?  or  danger  ?  or  perse- 
cution ?  or  the  sword  ?  .  .  .  for  I  am  sure 
that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present, 
nor  things  to  come,  nor  might,  nor  height, 
nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature  shall  be 
able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord."^  If 
there  is  nothing  that  can  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God,  then  there  is  nothing  that 
can  take  away  from  us  sanctifying  grace,  be- 
cause it  is  impossible  to  have  the  grace  of 
God  without  loving  Him. 

Through  grace  we  are  united  with  God 
as  long  as  we  do  not  lose  this  precious  gift 
through  sin.  We  are,  however,  not  pre- 
served from  temptation  on  account  of  grace. 
There    still    remains    in    us   the    effect   of 

1  Rom.  8.  35-39. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       171 

original  sin;  evil  inclinations,  which  are 
not  sinful  in  themselves,  but  which  entice 
us  to  sin.  Of  these  not  even  the  holiest 
persons  are  free.  St.  ]^ul  tells  us  that  even 
when  he  had  been  rapt  to  the  third 
heaven,  where  he  heard  words  which  no  man 
could  repeat,  he  relates  of  himself,  "  Lest  the 
greatness  of  the  revelations  should  exalt  me, 
there  was  given  me  a  sting  of  my  flesh, 
an  angel  of  Satan  to  buffet  me,  for  which 
thing  thrice  I  besought  the  Lord,  that  it 
might  depart  from  me  ;  and  He  said  to  me : 
My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee,  for  power  is 
made  perfect  in  infirmity."  ^  Even  St.  Paul, 
who  was  a  great  saint  and  certainly  had  the 
grace  of  God,  was  not  free  from  temptations. 
So  long  as  we  resist  temptations,  they  cannot 
rob  us  of  sanctifying  grace ;  on  the  contrary 
they  will  increase  our  merits  and  will  make 
the  state  of  grace  more  firm  in  us  on 
account  of  our  fidelity  to  it.  Even  if 
through  human  infirmity  we  should  fall 
into  venial  sins,  we  will   not  lose  the  state 

1  2  Cor.  12.  7-9. 


172  ON   THE   STATE   OF   GRACE 

of  sanctifying  grace.  Venial  sin  does  not 
rob  us  of  sanctifying  grace  ;  mortal  sin  alone 
can  do  this. 

Can  we  know  whether  we  are  in  the  state 
of  grace  ?  It  is  certain  that  we  receive 
sanctifying  grace  in  Baptism,  and  grace  re- 
mains in  the  soul  as  long  as  it  is  not  expelled 
by  mortal  sin.  If  any  one  knows  that  he  has 
committed  no  mortal  sin  after  Baptism,  then 
he  has  reason  to  hope  that  he  is  in  the  state 
of  grace.  Likewise  one  who  has  sinned  after 
Baptism,  but  has  repented  and  made  a  good 
confession,  can  hope  that  he  is  in  the  state 
of  grace.  The  sacraments  of  Baptism  and 
Penance  give  sanctifying  grace  infallibly, 
provided  we  receive  them  worthily  and  do 
all  that  is  required  on  our  part  Still,  no  one 
can  be  absolutely  certain  that  he  has  had  the 
right  contrition  for  his  sins,  and  that  he  has 
confessed  them  as  he  shoiild.  We  cannot 
always  be  certain  whether  the  sins  we  have 
committed  were  mortal  or  only  venial  sins. 
On  this  account,  namely  because  we  cannot  be 
absolutely  certain  that  we  have  done  all  that 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       173 

was  required,  and  not  on  account  of  any  defect 
on  the  part  of  the  sacraments,  we  can  never  be 
certain  of  possessing  sanctifying  grace.    "  Man 
knoweth  not  whether  he  be  worthy  of  love,  or  ' 
hatred."  ^     And  the  Apostle  says,  "  For  I  am 
not  conscious  to  myself  of  anything,  yet  am 
I  not  hereby  justified ;  but  He  that  judgeth 
me,  is  the  Lord."^     It  was  on  this  account 
that  St.  Paul  found  it  necessary  to  practise 
mortification     in     order    to    overcome    the 
temptations  to  sin  and  persevere  in  grace. 
"  I    chastise    my  body  and    bring    it    into^ 
subjection,  lest,  perhaps,  when  I  have  preached 
to   others,  I  myself  should   become  a  cast- 
away." ^     Although  we  can  have  no  absolute 
certainty  that  we  are  in  the  state  of  grace, 
still  we  must  have  confidence  in  the  mercy 
and  love  of  God  and  hope  in  the  merits  of 
Jesus   Christ.     This   hope   which  we   have, 
that  we  are  in  the  state  of   grace,  and  that 
we  shall  finally  through  the  mercy  of  God  be 
brought  to  life  everlasting,  must  not  be  with- 
out distrust   in   ourselves   and   fear   of   sin. 
1  Eccl.  9. 1.        2  I  Cor.  4.  4.        81  Cor.  9.  27. 


174  ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE 

The  Church  in  the  Council  of  Trent  teaches 
that  no  one  without  a  special  revelation,  can 
know  with  the  certainty  of  faith,  that  he  is  in 
the  state  of  grace  and  much  less  that  he 
shall  persevere  in  it  until  death/ 

There  are  some  signs  by  which  we  may 
form  some  judgment  whether  we  are  in  the 
state  of  grace  or  not ;  these  are  the  fruits  of 
grace,  namely  good  works.  Just  as  we  can 
know  the  nature  of  a  tree  from  its  fruits,  so 
we  can  also  know  the  presence  of  grace  from 
its  fruits.  Our  Lord  said,  "  Every  good  tree 
bringeth  forth  good  fruit."  ^  Through  sanc- 
tifying grace  man  becomes  a  child  of  God ;  he 
is  freed  from  sin ;  he  becomes  just  and  holy 
before  God  ;  he  will  therefore  also  do  what  is 
just  and  holy ;  he  will  show  himself  a  child 
of  God  in  his  works.  His  works  will  be  such 
as  are  pleasing  to  God,  and  meritorious  of 
heaven.  According  to  false  teaching  of  the 
so-called  Reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
man  can  do  nothing  worthy  of  heaven,  even 
when  he  is  justified,  because  according  to 
1  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  6,  c.  9.  ^  jviatt.  7.  17. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       175 

them,  justification  is  not  a  renewal  and  an 
inner  sanctification  but  only  a  covering  over 
of  sin  by  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
Catholic  Church  teaches,  however,  that  by 
the  reception  of  sanctifying  grace  the  sins  are 
entirely  blotted  out,  they  are  washed  away 
by  Baptism,  and  the  soul  receives  a  new  life. 
It  is  interiorly  sanctified.  Man  is  born 
again;  he  becomes  a  child  of  God. 

One  who  is  justified  by  grace  has  a  new 
supernatural  life,  and  he  who  lives  by  this 
life,  lives  in  God ;  all  that  lives  tends  to 
action ;  hence  grace,  too,  will  show  itself  by 
acts,  that  is,  by  good  works.  "  The  charity 
of  God  is  poured  forth  in  our  hearts  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  who  is  given  to  us."  ^  If  we 
have  grace,  then  we  have  the  love  of  God, 
because  by  grace  our  souls  are  united  to 
God.  Love  will  manifest  itself :  "  Charity  is 
patient,  is  kind ;  charity  envieth  not,  dealeth 
not  perversely,  is  not  puffed  up,  is  not  am- 
bitious, seeketh  not  her  own,  is  not  provoked 
to  anger,  thinketh  no  evil,  rejoiceth  not  in 

1  Rom.  5.  5. 


176  ON  THE   STATE  OF  GRACE 

iniquity,  but  rejoiceth  with  the  truth ;  beareth 
all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all 
things,  endureth  all  things.  Charity  never 
falleth  away  whether  prophecies  shall  be 
made  void,  or  tongues  shall  cease,  or  knowl- 
edge shall  be  destroyed."^  Charity  or  the 
love  of  God  which  is  always  joined  to  sancti- 
fying grace  shows  itself  by  good  works. 

The  fruits  of  good  works  of  the  early 
Christians  at  Jerusalem  we  find  recorded  in 
Holy  Scripture.  They  persevered  in  the 
teaching  of  the  apostles  and  the  breaking  of 
bread  and  in  prayer.  They  remained  in  the 
faith,  were  obedient  to  the  commands  of  the 
apostles,  received  frequently  the  Holy  Eu- 
charist, and  were  constant  in  prayer;  this 
was  the  effect  of  sanctifying  grace.  Further, 
we  read  of  the  early  Christians  that  they  sold 
their  goods  and  gave  them  to  the  poor,  they 
were  filled  with  the  love  of  their  neighbor; 
and  true  love  of  one's  neighbor  is  a  sign  of 
the  love  of  God.  As  it  was  in  those  days, 
so  is  it  to-day ;  they  that  have  in  their  hearts 

1 1  Cor.  13.  4-8. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       177 

the  love  of  God,  and  hence  are  in  the  state 
of  grace,  obey  the  commandments  of  God 
and  of  the  Church ;  they  are  charitable  and 
kind ;  they  lead  good  lives,  are  pure,  honest, 
and  pious.  The  works  of  such  persons  are 
meritorious. 

We  call  those  works  meritorious  or  salu- 
tary which  deserve  a  reward  from  God,  and 
that,  a  supernatural  reward.  This  reward 
consists  in  the  increase  of  sanctifying  grace 
and  eternal  salvation.  It  is  true,  sanctifying 
grace  is  a  free  gift  of  God,  and  so  are  the 
faculties  of  mind  and  body  gifts  of  God; 
still,  because  we  have  free  will,  and  hence 
can  accept  or  reject  the  grace  offered  us, 
God  rewards  us  most  generously  when  we 
accept  it  and  cooperate  with  it.  St.  Gregory 
the  Great  says, "  Because  the  will  follows  the 
preventing  grace  of  God,  that  which  was  a 
gift  becomes  meritorious."  ^  And  the  Coun- 
cil of  Trent  teaches,  "  They  who  do  good  and 
persevere  to  the  end,  receive  eternal  life,  not 
only  as  a  grace  promised  to  the  sons  of  God 

1  Horn.  9  in  Ezech. 


178  ON  THE   STATE  OF  GRACE 

through  Jesus  Christ,  but  as  a  reward  to  be 
faithfully  given  on  account  of  the  promise 
of  God  and  the  merits  of  their  works."  ^ 
The  reward  we  receive  for  our  good  works 
is  at  the  same  time  an  act  of  justice  and  an 
act  of  mercy  on  the  part  of  God.  It  is  an 
act  of  justice  because  God  has  promised 
this  reward,  and  we,  by  fulfilling  the  condi- 
tions of  His  promise,  have  deserved  it ;  it 
is  an  act  of   mercy  because  we  could  fulfil 

the  conditions  of  that  promise  only  through 

tf  -..-'.-.■.■  .  ■ 

the  help  of  the  grace  which  Jesus  merited 
for  us  by  His  suffering  and  death.  God's 
mercy  toward  us  has  been  so  great  that 
He  rewards  His  own  gifts  in  us  as  our 
merits. 

Will  the  grace  of  God  reinain  always  in 
us?  There  is  nothing  that  can  deprive 
us  of  sanctifying  grace  except  mortal  sin. 
Mortal  sin  is  a  grievous  offence  against 
the  law  of  God.  To  sin  mortally,  it  is  nec- 
essary that  there  should  be  question  of 
some    grievous    matter;  that    we    act   with 

1  Sess.  6.  c  1 6. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       179 

sufficient  reflection  and  with  full  consent 
of  the  will.  One  who  commits  a  sin  of 
that  kind  drives  from  his  soul  sanctifying 
grace.  Supernatural  life  is  lost,  and  that 
soul  becomes  dead  in  the  eyes  of  God. 
With  the  loss  of  sanctifying  grace  is  lost 
also  the  love  and  friendship  of  God;  God 
is  driven  from  the  soul.  God  will  not  live 
in  a  heart  which  is  subject  to  sin;  sin 
builds  up  a  wall  of  separation  between  the 
soul  and  God.  By  sin,  not  only  the  friend- 
ship  of  God  is  lost,  but  the  sinner  becomes 
an  enemy  of  God.  How  terrible  to  have^ 
for  an  enemy,  God  who  is  all-powerful,  who 
can  cast  us  body  and  soul  into  the  fire  of 
hell!  The  sinner  casts  aside  that  treasure 
which  Jesus  obtained  for  him  at  the  expense 
of  countless  sufferings  and  death,  —  a  treas- 
ure which  cannot  be  compared  with  all  the 
goods  of  the  world  because  it  insures  us 
of  the  possession  of  God  Himself.  With 
the  loss  of  sanctifying  grace,  are  lost  all 
merits  of  the  good  works  performed,  no  mat- 
ter how  great  they  may  have  been.     Those 


i8o  ON  THE   STATE  OF  GRACE 

merits  were  founded  in  grace,  and  with 
the  foundation,  the  whole  structure  is  de- 
\  stroyed.  With  the  loss  of  sanctifying  grace 
'  is  lost  also  the  happiness  and  peace  of  the 
children  of  God.  No  one  can  be  really 
happy  who  has  separated  himself  from 
God,  the  source  of  all  true  happiness.  He 
is  separated  from  Christ  who  gives  a  peace, 
such  as  the  world  cannot  give.  With  grace 
is  lost  the  sonship  of  God  and  the  right 
to  heaven.  The  sinner  makes  himself 
worthy  of  eternal  hell-fire ;  he  has  no  longer 
any  right  to  the  inheritance  of  the  children 
of  God;  by  an  act  of  his  own  free  will, 
he  throws  away  all  that  God  in  His  mercy 
gave  him.  By  sin  he  has  said  to  God  that 
he  wants  nothing  in  common  with  Him, 
that  he  prefers  to  please  himself  in  this 
life  rather  than  to  obey  God.  From  this 
we  see  that  there  is  no  evil  so  great  as 
the  evil  of  mortal  sin. 


ON   THE   STATE   OF   GRACE  i8i 

THE    STATE    OF    PRIVATION    OF    SANCTIFYING 
y.  GRACE^  . 

When  a  man  is  in  the  state  of  sin  all 
his  good  works  are  without  merit  for  heaven. 
The  Holy  Scriptures  in  various  places  com- 
pare man  to  a  tree;  the  good  tree  brings 
forth  good  fruit,  and  the  bad  tree  brings 
forth  evil  fruit.  The  works  of  the  good 
are  effects  of  sanctifying  grace ;  their  works 
are  meritorious  for  heaven.  This  does 
not  mean,  however,  that  everything  one 
does  whilst  in  the  state  of  grace  is  good 
and  merits  heaven;  even  a  man  in  the 
state  of  grace  can  commit  sin,  and  hence 
do  evil.  Such  a  man  can  commit  mortal 
sin,  and  thereby  lose  the  grace  which  is  in 
him;  yes,  he  can  do  evil,  even  without  los- 
ing the  state  of  grace  when  he  commits 
venial  sins.  There  are  trees  growing  wild, 
and  there  are  some  that  have  been  improved. 
These  latter  have  had  a  branch  of  a  better 
quality  grafted  upon  them ;  they  bring  forth 
better  fruit.     When  he  receives  sanctifying 


1 82  ON  THE   STATE  OF   GRACE 

grace,  man  resembles  one  of  these  grafted 
trees;  he  can  bring  forth  better  fruit  than 
he  could  have  done  naturally.  This  is  not 
the  case  with  the  man  in  sin;  he  cannot 
bring  forth  any  fruit  worthy  of  heaven;  he 
remains,  so  to  speak,  a  wild  tree.  A  man 
who  is  not  baptized,  or  who  has  fallen  into 
mortal  sin,  may  perform  works  which  are 
naturally  good,  but  he  can  do  nothing  to 
merit  a  supernatural  reward.  From  this 
we  can  see  that  not  all  that  such  a  one 
does  is  sinful,  as  the  heretics  of  the  six- 
teenth century  taught.  Their  idea  was  that 
through  the  sin  of  our  first  parents  human 
nature  had  been  entirely  corrupted,  so  that 
it  was  unable  to  do  anything  but  what  is 
sinful.  According  to  the  teaching  of  our 
Holy  Church,  man  has  lost  sanctifying  grace 
through  the  fall  of  Adam,  and  so  has  be- 
come incapable  of  working  his  salvation. 
In  consequence  of  the  loss  of  grace,  through 
original  sin,  man  can  do  nothing  to  gain 
heaven,  but  his  natural  faculties  of  intellect 
and  free  will  have  not  been  destroyed ;  he 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       183 

can  still  will  and  do  the  good  which  he 
understands;  he  can  do  that  which  is  in 
conformity  with  the  law  of  nature,  and 
therefore  not  sinful. 

There  are  works  which  are  bad  and  sin- 
ful of  themselves,  such  as  blasphemy,  mur- 
der, adultery,  etc.  Every  one  that  does 
these  things,  whether  he  be  baptized  or 
not,  is  guilty  of  sin ;  the  one  who  is  bap- 
tized loses  by  these  sins  the  state  of  sancti- 
fying grace,  and  makes  himself  worthy  of 
eternal  punishment ;  the  unbaptized  also  com- 
mits grievous  sin,  and  makes  himself  pun- 
ishable with  eternal  death.  Other  works 
are  in  themselves  indifferent,  that  is,  they 
are  neither  good  nor  bad,  as  eating,  drink- 
ing, walking,  etc.  These  can  become  good 
or  bad,  according  to  the  circumstances  and 
the  intention  with  which  we  perform  them. 
If  we  take  a  walk  in  order  to  get  new 
strength  and  so  be  better  able  to  do  ou£ 
work,  then  such  a  walk  is  good;  but  if  we 
take  a  walk  in  order  to  avoid  going  to  Mass 
on  Sunday,  then  the  walk  is  bad  and  sinful. 


i84  ON   THE   STATE  OF   GRACE 

Finally,  there  are  works  which  are  good 
in  themselves;  these  works  are  good,  pro- 
vided they  are  performed  in  the  proper 
circumstances  and  with  the  right  intention. 
Such  works  are  prayer,  honoring  one's  par- 
ents. It  is  clear  that  even  one  who  is  not 
baptized  can  honor  his  father  and  mother, 
as  can  also  one  who  is  in  the  state  of  mortal 
sin ;  yet  such  acts  are  not  sinful.  They  are, 
however,  worthless  for  heaven  because  the 
source  of  eternal  life  is  not  in  such  a  one. 
Such  works  are  naturally  good;  they  are 
the  fruit  of  his  natural  faculties  of  under- 
standing and  free  will.  These  works  are 
not  above  nature ;  they  belong  to  this  world, 
and  not  to  heaven.  Had  he  who  performed 
these  works  been  in  the  state  of  grace,  his 
natural  powers  would  have  been  raised  to 
the  supernatural  order,  he  would  have  had 
in  him  the  principle  of  eternal  life,  and 
his  works  would  have  been  of  that  higher 
kind  which  leads  to  heaven.  St.  Paul 
writes  to  the  Corinthians,  "  If  I  speak 
with   the   tongues   of    men,  and   of   angels. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       185 

and  have  not  charity,  I  am  become  as  sound- 
ing brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal;  and  if  I 
should  have  prophecy  and  should  know 
all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  and  if  I 
should  have  all  faith  so  that  I  could  remove 
mountains  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  noth- 
ing ;  and  if  I  should  distribute  all  my  goods 
to  feed  the  poor,  and  if  I  should  deliver  my 
body  up  to  be  burned  and  have  not  charity, 
it  profiteth  me  nothing."  ^  No  words  could 
be  more  clear  or  stronger  than  these  of 
St.  Paul.  Without  charity,  that  is,  with- 
out sanctifying  grace,  all  works  are  useless 
for  eternal  salvation,  even  such  as  giving 
all  we  possess  to  feed  the  poor,  giving  our 
body  to  be  burned,  —  faith  itself,  no  mat- 
ter if  it  be  strong  enough  to  work  mira- 
cles, cannot  save  us  if  we  are  in  a  state 
of  sin.  We  must  then  be  united  by  grace 
to  God  if  we  wish  to  earn  the  eternal 
reward  of  heaven.  For  this  reason  Our 
Lord  tells  us  that  He  is  the  vine  and  we 
are   the   branches,  because   no   branch   can 

^  I  Cor.  13.  1-3. 


l86  ON   THE   STATE   OF  GRACE 

bring  forth  fruit  when  it  is  separated  from 
the  vine.  A  branch  which  is  cut  off  from 
the  vine  soon  withers  and  dies;  it  cannot 
bear  good  fruit.  If  we  wish  to  bear  good 
fruit,  we  must  be  united  by  grace  to  Christ ; 
without  Him  we  can  do  nothing.  We 
must  receive  from  Him  the  life  of  grace, 
just  as  the  branch  receives  life  and  sap 
from  the  vine.  One  who  is  not  baptized 
or  who  has  lost  the  state  of  grace  by  mortal 
sin  is  spiritually  dead ;  he  is  dead  to  heaven, 
and  can  do  nothing  to  gain  it.  Of  him 
the  words  of  the  Apocalypse  are  true,  "  I 
/  i  know  thy  works,  that  thou  hast  the  name 
of  being  alive,  and  thou  art  dead."  ^  A  man 
who  is  not  baptized,  therefore  not  justi- 
fied, or  one  who  has  committed  a  mortal 
sin,  is  deprived  of  sanctifying  grace,  and 
consequently  is  not  a  child  of  God,  has 
no  right  to  heaven,  and  can  do  nothing 
to  merit  it.  The  condition  of  such  a  one 
is,  indeed,  deplorable. 

Although  the  good  works  of  one  in  the 
^  Apoc.  3.  I. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       187 

state  of  sin  are  not  meritorious  for  heaven, 
yet  we  must  not  think  that  they  are  entirely 
useless,  so  that  it  would  be  of  no  benefit 
whatever  for  him  to  do  good.  These  good 
works  performed  in  the  state  of  sin,  though 
they  do  not  give  one  a  right  to  heaven,  may 
still  lead  him  there  by  disposing  him  for 
the  grace  of  repentance,  "  Redeem  thou/^ 
thy  sins  with  alms,  and  thy  iniquities  with 
works  of  mercy  to  the  poor;  perhaps  He 
will  forgive  thy  offences."^  This  was  the 
advice  of  Daniel  to  the  king  Nabuchodo- 
nosor.  Such  good  works,  although  they  do 
not  merit  grace,  are  still  apt  to  move  God 
to  take  pity  on  the  sinner  and  give  him  the 
grace  of  conversion.  These  naturally  good 
works  may  also  ward  off  the  temporal  pun- 
ishments due  to  the  sins  we  have  committed. 
Of  this  we  have  an  example  in  the  Nineyites, 
who,  when  they  heard  the  prediction  that 
their  city  was  soon  to  be  destroyed,  fasted 
and  clothed  themselves  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes.      This   averted  the  punishment,   and 

1  Dan.  4.  24. 


l88  ON   THE   STATE   OF   GRACE 

their  city  was  spared.  Good  works,  per- 
formed when  not  in  the  state  of  grace,  are 
useless  for  our  salvation,  inasmuch  as  we 
cannot  merit  heaven  without  being  friends 
and  children  of  God,  which  we  are  only  by 
sanctifying  grace;  but  they  are  not  entirely 
useless,  because  they  may  be  for  us  the  rea- 
son of  conversion,  or  may  avert  punishment 
due  to  sin.  We  read  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  of  a  certain  centurion.  Corneous, 
"  A  religious  man,  and  fearing  God  with  all 
his  house,  giving  much  alms  to  the  people 
and  always  praying  to  God."  ^  He  was  still 
a  heathen  and  therefore  not  in  the  state 
of  sanctifying  grace,  for  this  comes  only 
through  Baptism.  Although  not  baptized, 
and  hence  not  able  to  merit  heaven,  he 
received  the  grace  of  conversion  on  account 
of  the  good  work  which  he  performed. 

On  account  of  the  sin  of  our  first  parents, 
we  are  all  born  deprived  of  sanctifying 
grace;  we  have  no  right  to  heaven,  and  are 
subject   to  sin.     Likewise,  if  we  commit  a 

^  Acts  10.  2. 


ON   THE   STATE   OF  GRACE  189 

mortal  sin  after  Baptism,  we  lose  again  the 
state  of  grace.  As  long  as  the  guilt  of  sin 
remains  in  the  soul  we  can  do  nothing  for 
heaven,  and  if  one  should  be  so  unfortu- 
nate as  to  die  in  that  state,  he  would  be 
lost  forever.  How  terrible  is  the  condition 
of  sin!  And  yet  sinners,  as  a  rule,  are  so 
blinded  to  their  dangerous  condition  that 
they  see  no  danger  in  it.     They  are  bound, 

as  it  were,  with  iron  chains  which  they  are 

mmmmmmmmmmm 
unable  to  break.     On  this  account  the  con- 
version of  a  sinner  is  a  greater  miracle  than 
the  raising  of   a  dead  man  to  life.     It  is  a 
miracle  of  grace. 

Although  conversion  is  so  great  a  gift 
that  it  cannot  be  merited,  the  sinner  may 
and  should  pray  for  it.  Our  Lord  said, 
"  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  you,  seek  and  /\ 
you  shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened 
to  you."  ^  This  much  the  sinner  can  do ;  he 
has  always  sufficient  grace  to  pray.  If  he 
pray  for  the  grace  of  conversion,  he  may 
hope  to  receive  it,  for  Our  Lord  continues 

1  Matt.  7.  7. 


190  ON  THE   STATE   OF  GRACE 

and  says,  "  Every  one  that  asketh  receiv- 
eth."^  Prayer  like  other  good  works  is  not 
in  vain,  even  in  those  that  are  not  in  the 
state  of  grace.  God  Himself  through  His 
prophets  repeatedly  exhorted  the  Israelites 
to  prayer,  fasting,  alms-giving,  and  other 
good  works,  in  order  that  they  might  re- 
ceive pardon  for  their  transgressions.  Of 
alms  Our  Lord  Himself  said  that  they  lead 
to  the  remission  of  sin.  "  Blessed  are  the 
merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy."  ^ 

Every  one  who  is  in  the  state  of  sin 
must  do  all  in  his  power  to  escape  the 
terrible  danger  of  being  lost  forever.  This 
is  demanded  by  the  love  we  should  have 
for  ourselves,  as  a  Christian  must  love  his 
own  soul,  and  must  try  to  save  it.  If  we 
have  committed  a  grievous  sin,  we  must 
immediately  make  an  act  of  contrition,  and 
confess  our  fault  to  the  priest,  and  from 
him  seek  absolution  in  the  sacrament  of 
Penance.  In  this  way  we  can  regain  the 
state  of  grace,  after  we  have  had  the  mis- 
1  Matt.  7.  8.  2  Matt.  5.  7. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       191 

fortune  of  losing  it  by  mortal  sin.  No 
one  need  remain  in  the  state  of  sin  for  a 
moment;  if  confession  is  not  immediately 
possible,  we  can  make  an  act  of  perfect 
contrition  (that  is,  an  act  of  sorrow  for  our 
sins,  because  by  them  we  have  offended 
God  who  is  all-good  and  most  worthy  of 
our  love),  together  with  the  firm  resolution 
of  sinning  no  more  and  of  confessing  our 
sins  as  soon  as  possible.  Why  should  we 
remain  for  hours,  or  even  days  and  weeks, 
in  the  state  of  sin,  and  so  be  continually 
exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  suddenly 
cast  into  hell  for  eternity.'^ 

There  is  nothing  worse  thmt  livin£  in  a 
state  of  sin;  it  is  greater  than  any  other 
evil.  Mortal  sin  separates  us  from  God,  the 
source  of  all  good  and  all  real  happiness ; 
it  robs  us  of  all  the  good  that  we  have 
done ;  takes  away  all  the  merit  of  whatever 
good  we  may  do  whilst  in  this  state ;  and, 
finally,  if  persevered  in,  it  banishes  the  sin- 
ner into  everlasting  hell-fire.  On  account 
of  this  the  good  Christian  daily  recites  the 


192  ON   THE   STATE   OF  GRACE 

act  of  contrition  for  his  sins,  and  promises 
that  he  will  die  rather  than  offend  God  again 
by  grievous  sin.  The  saints  understood 
the  great  difference  between  the  state  of 
grace  and  the  state  of  sin,  when  they  will- 
ingly suffered  death  rather  than  offend 
God.  By  denying  their  faith  they  might 
have  saved  their  lives,  and  received  great 
earthly  rewards  and  honors,  but  that  would 
have  been  a  grievous  offence  against  God, 
and  they  remembered  the  words  of  their 
divine  Master,  "  He  that  loveth  his  life  (i.e. 
the  life  of  the  body)  shall  lose  it;  and  he 
that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  keepeth  it 
unto  life  eternal."  ^  We  will,  therefore,  never 
commit  a  mortal  sin,  even  if  it  were  to  save 
a  person's  life.  This  would  be  to  pay  too 
[dear  a  price  for  it.  Yet  how  many  there 
are  who  sell  their  souls  for  even  less ! 
How  many  treasures  they  could  save  up 
^in  heaven,  during  the  time  that  they  are 
in  mortal  sin!  Now  this  precious  time,  in 
[hich   they   ought  to   work  for  heaven,  is 

^  John  12.  25. 


ON  THE  STATE  OF  GRACE       193 

lost  because  they  are  in  a  state  of  sin  and 
can  do  nothing  for  the  salvation  of  their 
souls. 

When  we  compare  these  two  states,  the 
state  of  sin  and  the  state  of  grace,  what  a 
contrast  they  are  to  each  other!  How 
much  better  is  it  to  watch  over  the  pre- 
cious treasure  of  sanctifying  grace,  to  be  a 
child  of  God  and  an  heir  of  heaven,  to 
lay  up  treasures  in  heaven  for  our  eternal 
glory,  than  to  run  after  the  passing  pleas- 
ures of  this  world,  and  to  be  all  this  time, 
as  it  were,  hanging  over  the  abyss  of  helL 
into  which  the  sinner  might  fall  at  any 
moment!  Let  us  therefore  be  faithful  to 
grace,  until  grace  be  changed  into  glory, 
when  God  Himself  will  say  to  us,  "  I  am 
thy  reward  exceeding  great."  ^ 

1  Gen.  15. 1. 


VIII 

OT   GOOD   WORKS, 

The  state  of  grace  consists  in  freedom 
from  mortal  sin,  the  possession  of  interior 
sanctity  through  grace  and  its  companions, 
faith,  hope,  and  charity.  By  grace  our  souls 
become  beautiful  and  pleasing  in  the  sight 
of  God ;  with  it  are  given  us  the  divine  vir- 
tues that  make  us  true  sons  of  God.  These 
virtues  are  given  us  to  know  God,  hope  in 
Him,  and  love  Him.  The  effect  of  the 
virtues  are,  therefore,  good  works.  The 
virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity  may  be 
compared  to  the  talents  which  the  lord  gave 

'  to  his  servants,  and  with  which  they  were 
to  work,  and  on  the  return  of  the  master, 
render  an  account  of  their  work.     "  To  one 

/  he  gave  five  talents,  and  to  another  two,  and 

to  another  one,  to  every  one  according  to 

194 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  195 

his  proper  ability  ;  and  immediately  he  took 
his  journey."^  The  one  who  had  received 
five  talents  used  them  and  gained  five  more ; 
likewise  the  one  who  had  received  two,  put 
them  to  good  account  and  gained  two  more ; 
but  the  one  who  received  only  one  talent 
buried  it,  and  gained  nothing  for  his  master. 
When  the  master  returned  he  held  a  reck- 
oning with  his  servants,  and  to  each  of  the 
two  faithful  servants  he  said,  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant,  because  thou  hast 
been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will  place 
thee  over  many  things,  enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  lord."  ^  To  the  third  one,  however, 
he  said,  "  Wicked  and  slothful  servant,  . .  . 
take  ye  away  therefore  the  talent  from  him 
and  give  it  to  him  that  hath  ten  talents ;  for^ 
to  every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given,  and 
he  shall  abound ;  but  from  him  that  hath 
not,  that  also  which  he  seemeth  to  have 
shall  be  taken  away."^  What  is  the  mean- 
ing of  this  parable?  The  master  is  our 
divine   Lord,   Jesus   Christ,   who   after   our 

1  Matt.  25.15.       2  /^/^.  25 .  2 1 .       » /h'd.  25 .  26, 27. 


196  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

Redemption  returned  into  heaven.  In  His 
Church,  He  left  the  treasures  of  His  grace 
which  are  given  to  us  through  Baptism 
and  the  other  sacraments.  These  treasures 
He  merited  for  us  by  His  Passion  and 
death,  and  distributes  to  us  through  the 
sacraments.  We  are  the  servants  who  are  to 
use  them,  and  who  must  give  an  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  we  have  corresponded 
with  grace.  Some  men  receive  more  grace 
than  others,  but  all  receive  at  least  one  talent ; 
all  receive  sufHcient  grace  to  gain  more  and 
work  their  salvation.  Each  must  use  the 
grace  given  him,  and  must  by  using  it  obtain 
some  gain;  all  must  bring  to  the  Master  the 
fruit  of  good  works.  They  who  cooperate 
faithfully  with  the  grace  of  God,  and  bring  to 
Him  the  fruit  of  good  works,  shall  be  re- 
warded. This  reward  consists  in  the  good 
pleasure  of  the  Lord  and  in  the  joys  of 
heaven.  "  Well  done "  indicates  the  pleas- 
ure that  the  Lord  has  in  His  faithful  ser- 
vants ;  "  Enter  thou  into  the  joys  of  thy 
lord"   refers    to    the    happiness    of    heaven 


ON   GOOD   WORKS  197 

which  IS  indeed  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  since 
its  principal  happiness  consists  in  the  pos- 
session of  God  Himself.  From  this  parable 
we  see  clearly  that  good  works  are  neces- 
sary. "  A  good  tree  will  bring  forth  good 
fruit."  "  Every  tree  that  doth  not  yield  good  ' 
fruit  shall  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the 
fire."^ 

Good  works  are  necessary  to  retain  and 
inc7^ease  sanctifying  grace.  Grace  is  the 
talent  which  the  Lord  has  given  to  us  of 
His  own  free  will.  We  did  not  earn  nor 
merit  it.  We  must  watch  over,  and  so  pre- 
serve and  increase  it,  otherwise  we  shall 
incur  God's  displeasure  and  be  treated  as 
unfaithful  and  slothful  servants.  When  we 
received  this  talent  in  Baptism,  we  received 
at  the  same  time  the  obligation  of  using  it 
and  bringing  forth  good  works.  We  re- 
nounced Satan  and  his  works,  and  promised 
to  lead  good  and  holy  lives.  Sanctifying 
grace  can  be  compared  to  a  light:  as  a 
light  is  fed  by  oil,  so  sanctifying  grace  is  fed 
^  Matt.  3. 10. 


198  ON   GOOD  WORKS 

and  nourished  by  good  works.  We  must  not 
hide  this  light  under  a  bushel,  but  we  must 
let  it  shine  so  that  when  others  see  our  good 
works,  they  may  praise  the  Father  who  is  in 
yix  heaven.  "So  let  your  light  shine  before 
men  that  they  may  see  your  good  works  and 
glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  ^  St. 
Paul  admonishes  the  Christians,  "  Do  ye  all 
things  without  murmurings  and  hesitations  ; 
that  you  may  be  blameless  and  sincere  chil- 
dren of  God,  without  reproof,  in  the  midst 
of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation, 
among  whom  you  shine  as  lights  in  the 
world."  ^  Our  good  works  should  be  as  a 
light  to  the  world,  that  through  them  men 
may  be  attracted  to  God.  By  our  good 
example  we  shall  teach  the  world  to  serve 
God. 

We  must  perform  good  works  because  we 
are  Christians,  A  Christian  is  one  who  by 
sanctifying  grace  is  united  to  Christ ;  one 
who  has  become,  in  a  manner,  a  part  of  Christ. 
Christ   lives   and   "  dieth    now    no    more."^ 

1  Matt.  5.  16.        2  Philip.  2.  14,  15.        8  Rom.  6.  9. 


ON   GOOD   WORKS  199 

If,  then,  we  are  members  of  His  body,  we 
too  must  live ;  and  we  live  by  charity  which 
shows  itself  in  works.  "  Faith  without 
works  is  dead."^  To  be  united  to  Christ  de- 
mands a  living  faith,  —  one  that  is  perfected 
in  charity  and  good  works.  A  Christian  is 
a  disciple  or  a  follower  of  Christ;  he  must, 
therefore,  listen  to  the  words  of  his  Master 
and  obey  them.  Christ  repeatedly  com- 
manded us  to  pray,  to  keep  the  command- 
ments of  God,  to  love  our  neighbor  and 
even  our  enemies.  By  word  and  deed  He 
taught  us  to  do  good  works.  He  went 
about  doing  good,  and  healing  the  sick.  "  I 
have  given  you  an  example  that  as  I  have 
done  to  you,  so  you  do  also."  ^  "  Learn  of  Me 
because  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart."  i 
"  If  any  man  will  come  after  Me  let  him  deny 
himself,  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow 
Me."  *  From  this  and  from  the  example  of  the 
apostles  and  of  the  saints,  we  can  see  that 
true  Christian  life  consists  in  doing  good 
works,   according   to  the   teaching    and  ex- 

^  James  2.  20.    2  john  13.  15.     »  Matt.  11.  29.    ■*  Luke  9.  23. 


200  ON   GOOD   WORKS 

>X  ample  of  Our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ.  They 
who  no  longer  go  to  Mass,  who  do  not  wish 
to  fast  and  deny  themselves,  who  do  not 
keep  the  commandments,  are  not  living 
Christian  lives,  —  they  are  Christians  only  in 
name.  Sanctifying  grace  is  fed  on  good 
^works;  where  good  works  are  wanting, 
there  sanctifying  grace  will  not  remain 
long.  A  man  who  does  not  perform  good 
works  is  like  a  tree  without  fruit;  he  is 
worthless.  Without  good  works  we  cannot 
remain  in  the  state  of  grace,  but  if  we  per- 
form good  works,  we  will  continually  grow 
y^in  grace.  *'  He  that  is  just  let  him  be  jus- 
tified still,  and  he  that  is  holy  let  him  be 
sanctified  still."  ^ 

Without  good  works  we  can7tot  enter 
heaven.  It  is  true,  children  that  are  bap- 
tized and  die  before  they  reach  the  use  of 
reason,  go  straight  to  heaven ;  they  are  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  heaven  is  their  inheritance. 
Likewise  grown  persons  that  die  imme- 
diately after  Baptism,  obtain  heaven  without 

^  ApOC.  22.  II. 


ON  GOOD   WORKS  201 

works  on  their  part;  but  these  are  excep- 
tions. They  go  to  heaven  without  having 
performed  good  works  because  they  have 
not  had  time  to  perform  such  works.  The 
ordinary  Christian,  however,  who  has  reached 
the  use  of  reason  must  perform  good  works, 
and  so  merit  the  joys  of  heaven.  Heaven 
is  a  reward,  and  a  rew^ard  is  given  for  good 
deeds.  "  But  lay  up  to  yourselves  treas- 
ures in  heaven,  where  neither  the  rust  nor 
moth  doth  consume,  and  where  thieves 
do  not  break  through,  nor  steal." -^  These 
treasures  that  we  are  to  lay  up  in  heaven, 
are  our  good  works.  We  have  compared 
good  works  to  oil  which  feeds  the  light  of 
sanctifying  grace.  If  we  allow  the  oil  to 
run  out,  we  shall  be  like  the  foolish  virgins 
of  whom  Our  Lord  speaks  in  the  gospel. 
They  went  to  meet  the  bridegroom,  but 
neglected  to  keep  oil  in  their  lamps.  When 
He  came  they  were  not  prepared,  and  the 
bridegroom  said  to  them,  "  I  know  you  not," 
and  the  door  of  heaven  was  closed  before 

^  Matt.  6.  20. 


202  ON   GOOD  WORKS 

them.  If  we  come  before  Him  without  the 
oil  of  good  works,  He  will  tell  us  also  that 
He  does  not  know  us  as  His  own;  if  we 
have  no  good  works  to  show,  He  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  us.  "  Many  are  called 
but  few  chosen,"^  and  St.  Peter  tells  us  to 
make  sure  our  vocation  and  election  by 
good  works.^  All  are  called  to  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  but  only  they  who  make  sure 
their  election  by  good  works,  are  chosen.  It 
is  by  good  works  that  we  obtain  the  happi- 
ness that  God  has  destined  for  us  from 
eternity. 

A  gardener  plants  a  tree ;  he  waters  it,  and 
cares  for  it,  in  the  hope  that  it  will  bring 
forth  good  fruit ;  if  the  tree  disappoints  the 
hopes  of  the  gardener,  what  does  he  do  ? 
Our  Lord  gives  us  the  answer :  "  A  certain 
man  had  a  fig-tree  planted  in  his  vineyard, 
and  he  came  seeking  fruit  on  it,  and  found 
none.  And  he  said  to  the  dresser  of  the  vine- 
yard :  Behold,  for  these  three  years  I  come 
seeking  fruit  on  this  fig-tree,  and  I  find  none. 
1  Matt.  20.  1 6.  2  2  Peter  i .  lo. 


ON   GOOD  WORKS  203 

Cut  it  down  therefore:  why  cumbereth  it 
the  ground  ?  But  he  answering  said  to  him : 
Lord,  let  it  alone  this  year  also,  until  I  dig 
about  it,  and  dung  it ;  and  if  happily  it  bear 
fruit ;  but  if  not,  then  after  that  thou  shalt  cut 
it  down."^  God  does  not  punish  immedi,- 
ately,  but  gives  time  for  repentance ;  He  still 
cares  for  him  of  whom  He  expects  good 
works;  but  if  after  repeated  gifts  of  grace, 
he  still  shows  no  good  works,  He  will  cut 
such  a  one  down  like  the  tree  in  the  gospel. 
"Every  tree  that  doth  not  yield  good  fruit 
shall  be  cut  down  and  cast  into  the  fire." 
A  tree  is  to  bear  fruit,  and  if  it  does  not  bear 
fruit,  it  is  good  only  to  serve  as  wood  for  the 
fire.  Before  Baptism  we  were  like  a  tree 
growing  wild ;  by  Baptism  we  were  trans- 
planted into  the  vineyard  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Catholic  Church.  Here  we  are  to  bring 
forth  the  fruit  of  good  works.  If  we  do  not 
do  this,  God  may  have  patience  with  us  for 
a  long  time,  but  finally  we  shall  be  cut  down 
instead  of  being  transplanted  into  the  garden 

1  Luke  13.  6-9. 


204  ON   GOOD  WORKS 

of  paradise,  as  God  had   intended   that   we 
should  be. 

Heaven  is,  indeed,  a  gift  which  we  receive 
through  the  mercy  of  God ;  it  is  a  gift  which 
fesus  obtained  for  us  by  His  Passion  and 
death,  but  we,  too,  are  to  earn  it  in  and  with 
fesus  by  good  works.  Jesus  has  given  us 
grace  and  so  made  it  possible  for  us  to  earn 
heaven ;  if  we  do  not  work  to  earn  heaven, 
God  will  treat  us  as  He  treated  the  un- 
faithful servant  in  the  gospel,  —  He  will  cast 
us  out  into  exterior  darkness,  where  there  is 
^"howling  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  Let  us 
consider  this  well  now  before  it  is  too  late ; 
when  one  has  lived  badly  and  has  wasted  his 
time  in  life,  and  death  has  come,  then  it  is 
too  late  to  feel  sorry  for  one's  sins.  No  weep- 
ing or  regretting  will  free  one  from  hell ;  hell 
does  not  give  up  its  victims ;  hell  is  eternal. 
It  is  now  that  we  must  be  sorry  for  sin  and 
improve  our  ways ;  after  death  sorrow  comes 
too  late.  What  we  have  sowed  in  life,  that 
shall  we  reap  in  death.  Here  is  the  place 
for  work ;  hereafter,  the  place  for  reward  or 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  205 

punishment.  "  Let  us  work  while  there  is 
day,  for  the  night  shall  come  when  no  man 
can  work."  Often  we  hear  people  say,  "  I  am 
not  a  thief,  I  am  not  a  murderer,  I  have  not 
committed  any  great  crimes,  I  need  have  no 
fear  of  the  judgment."  Yet,  if  we  remem- 
ber, it  was  not  because  the  fig-tree  had  done 
anything  evil  that  it  was  to  be  cut  down ;  it 
was  because  it  had  not  brought  forth  good 
fruits ;  because  it  bore  no  fruit  was  the  reason 
it  was  to  be  cut  down  and  thrown  into  the 
fire.  In  the  same  way  the  unfaithful  servant 
was  not  reprimanded  because  he  had  been 
dishonest,  or  had  stolen  his  master's  money  ; 
no,  it  was  because  he  had  not  used  it  and 
gained  more  with  it;  this  was  the  reason 
he  was  called  unfaithful.  So  it  is  with  the 
Christian;  it  is  insufficient  not  to  do  any 
wrong,  we  must  also  do  good,  Grace  is  given 
us,  both  to  avoid  sin  and  to  do  good.  We 
must  make  use  of  grace  for  both  purposes. 
Sloth  is  one  of  the  capital  sins ;  not  to  do 
good  is  to  be  lazy  and  slothful.  Why  was 
Dives  buried  in  hell }     We  do  not  read  that 


2o6  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

,  he  committed  great  crimes,  but  he  was  a 
man  of  the  world ;  he  used  his  wealth  for 
good  living  and  neglected  to  help  the  poor. 
He  did  not  perform  any  works  of  charity ; 
he  saw  Lazarus  daily,  lying  before  his 
house,  and  neglected  to  help  him;  this 
was  the  reason  of  his  condemnation.  He 
missed  the  purpose  of  his  existence;  he 
did  not  use  the  goods  of  this  world  rightly, 
and  he  was  cut  out  of  the  garden  of  God,  and 
cast  into  the  fire  to  burn.  Had  he  performed 
even  some  slight  work  of  mercy,  he  might 
have  been  saved,  or,  at  least,  his  pains  should 
have  been  greatly  diminished.  Good  works 
are  therefore  necessary  that  we  may  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

The  reward  of  heaven  for  good  works  is  so 
great  that  we  cannot  form  any  idea  of  it, 
St.  Paul  compares  life  to  a  race,  and  the 
reward  of  heaven  to  the  crown  that  is  given 
to  the  victor.  We  can  imagine  the  joy  and 
the  satisfaction  of  one  who  after  long  months 
of  training  has  come  out  victorious  in  a  con- 
i  '  test,  and  receives  the  applause  of  the  crowd. 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  207 

His  heart  swells  with  joy  and  pride ;  he  for- 
gets entirely  the  fatigue  and  labor  of  the 
preparation  now  that  they  are  crowned  with 
success.  In  like  manner,  but  in  a  much 
higher  degree,  shall  we  feel  happy  when  our 
human  labors  are  crowned  in  heaven ;  then, 
indeed,  shall  we  feel  the  truth  of  the  words  of 
St.  Paul,  "The  sufferings  of  this  time  are 
not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory 
to  come  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us."  ^  That 
glory,  of  which  the  apostles  only  saw  a 
glimpse  on  Mt.  Thabor,  which  made  St.  Peter 
wish  to  remain  there  forever,  and  exclaim, 
"  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,"  ^  ex- 
ceeds all  that  man  has  ever  seen  or  heard  or 
even  been  able  to  think.  "  Eye  hath  not  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man,  what  things  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  Him."  ^  St.  Stephen, 
whilst  he  was  being  stoned  to  death,  saw 
the  heavens  open  and  the  Son  of  man 
standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  The 
scene  filled  him  with  such  happiness  that 
he  did  not  feel  the  stones  falling  upon  him. 

1  Rom.  8.  18.        2  Matt.  17.  4.        «  i  Cor.  2.  9. 


2o8  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

Many  of  the  martyrs  walked  upon  red-hot 
coals,  and  the  thought  of  the  joys  of  heaven 
made  them  seem  to  them  to  be  sweet-smell- 
ing roses.  St.  Paul  was  thrice  rapt  up 
into  heaven ;  whether  in  the  body  or  out 
of  the  body  he  knew  not,^  but  what  he  saw 
there  he  could  never  find  words  to  express. 
We  are  often  delighted  with  a  beautiful 
scene,  —  for  instance,  the  sun  rising  on  a 
beautiful  spring  day.  After  the  dreary  win- 
ter spring  seems  wonderfully  lovely  to  us,  as 
it  buds  forth  the  first  flowers,  and  the  birds 
that  had  deserted  us  during  the  winter  season 
are  again  heard  in  the  fields;  then  we  often 
experience  a  feeling  that  we  would  wish  it 
always  to  be  spring.  The  earth  in  all  her 
beauty  is,  after  all,  only  the  work  of  the 
hand  of  God.  "  He  commanded  and  they 
were  created."^  How  beautiful  must  be 
God  who  made  all  these  things  of  beauty! 
How  we  love  to  be  in  the  company  of  those 
whom  we  love,  our  parents,  brothers,  and 
sisters,  our  companions  at  school,  our  play- 

1  2  Cor.  12.  ^  Psalm  32.  9. 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  209 

mates ;  yet  what  are  they  all  compared  to  God 
who  is  most  kind  and  loving  ?  Heaven  which 
we  are  to  merit  by  good  works,  the  fruit  of 
sanctifying  grace,  consists  in  seeing  and 
possessing  God  for  all  eternity.  There  will 
be  no  tears,  no  sorrow,  no  separation,  no  fear, 
no  suffering  of  any  kind,  but  only  happiness 
and  joy  and  glory  forever  and  ever.  "  I  have 
said,  you  are  gods,  and  all  of  you  the  sons  of 
the  Most  High."^  And  this  glory  and  happi- 
ness we  can  earn  through  prayer,  fasting,  giv- 
ing of  alms,  in  a  word,  through  good  works  ! 
How  is  it  that  good  wo7'ks  have  so  great  a 
vakie,  that  by  them  we  can  merit  the  glory 
of  heaven  and  the  possession  of  God  Him- 
self.? The  value  does  not  come  from  us. 
Of  ourselves  we  can  do  nothing ;  the  value 
comes  from  the  grace  of  God.  "  I  am  the 
vine,  you  the  branches.  He  that  abideth 
in  Me  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much 
fruit ;  for  without  Me  you  can  do  nothing."  ^ 
It  is  only  they  who  are  united  to  Jesus  by 
sanctifying  grace  who  bear  much  fruit ;  they 

1  Psalm  81.  6.  2  John  15.  5. 


2IO  ON  GOOD   WORKS 

who  are  not  branches  of  Him,  the  vine,  can 
do  nothing  to  merit  heaven;  they  do  not 
receive  life  from  Him,  and  are  dead.  It  is 
through  grace  that  we  are  united  to  Christ, 
as  the  branch  is  united  to  the  vine ;  through 
grace  we  become  united  to  Jesus,  as  the 
members  are  united  to  the  body.  Through 
grace  we  are  living  branches  and  living 
members  of  Christ.  From  Him  life  flows 
into  us,  as  the  life-giving  sap  flows  from  the 
vine  into  the  branches.  Jesus  is  true  God 
and  His  works  have  for  this  reason  an  infi- 
nite value.  Since  then  by  grace  we  partake 
of  His  life  and  act  by  the  strength  that 
comes  from  His  grace,  our  works,  too,  be- 
come most  precious,  so  that  by  them  we 
may  merit  the  eternal  happiness  of  heaven. 
When  we  are  in  the  state  of  grace,  we  act 
as  the  members  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  this 
gives  value  to  our  works,  which  of  them- 
selves would  have  no  power  to  merit  a  re- 
ward in  the  supernatural  order.  From  this 
we  see  that  our  principal  concern  in  this  life 
is  to  remain  united  with  Jesus  by  sanctifying 


ON   GOOD  WORKS  211 

grace,  and  hence  to  avoid  everything  that 
might  break  this  bond  which  unites  us  to 
Him.  Christ  Himself  wishes  nothing  more 
earnestly  than  that  we  remain  in  His  grace. 
He  prayed  before  His  Passion  and  death: 
"  Holy  Father,  keep  them  in  Thy  name,  h^ 
whom  Thou  hast  given  Me ;  that  they  may 
be  one  as  We  also  are.  ...  I  pray  not  that 
Thou  shouldst  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but 
that  Thou  shouldst  keep  them  from  evil.  . . . 
Sanctify  them  in  truth.  .  .  .  And  not  for 
them  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  who 
through  their  word  shall  believe  in  Me ;  that 
they  all  may  be  one,  as  Thou,  Father,  in  Me, 
and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one 
in  Us."  ^  Not  our  strength  but  the  grace  of 
God,  which  we  have  and  by  which  we  are 
united  to  God,  gives  value  to  our  works. 
"All  things  are  yours"  because  "You  are 
Christ's."  ^  It  is  from  Christ  that  we  receive 
the  grace  which  makes  us  able  to  do  good 
and  salutary  works.  "  For  you  know  the 
grace  of  Our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  that  being 
1  John  17.  II-2I.  2  I  Cor.  3. 22. 


212  ON   GOOD  WORKS 

rich,  He  became  poor  for  your  sakes,  that 
through  His  poverty  you  might  be  rich."^ 
"  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  in 
you;  that  ye  always,  having  all  sufficiency 
in  all  things,  may  abound  to  every  good 
work."^  Through  Christ  we  have  become 
rich  in  grace,  and  if  we  remain  in  His  grace, 
we  shall  be  rich  in  good  works,  and  so 
abound  in  merits  for  heaven.  The  first 
requisite  for  the  performance  of  good  works, 
meritorious  of  heaven,  is,  therefore,  to  be  in 
the  state  of  grace. 

Besides  being  in  the  state  of  grace,  we 
must  perform  our  good  works  with  a  good 
inte7ition.  We  have  seen  that  the  value  of 
our  good  works  comes  from  the  merits  of 
Our  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  and  hence  that  we 
must  be  united  with  Him  through  sanctify- 
ing grace.  However,  even  if  we  are  in  the 
state  of  grace,  we  may  perform  works,  good 
in  themselves,  without  any  spiritual  benefit 
to  ourselves,  if  we  do  not  perform  them  with 
the    right    intention.      It    is    the    intention 

'^'  1 2  Cor.  8.  9.  2  2  Cor.  9.  8. 


ON   GOOD  WORKS  213 

which  God  looks  upon  principally  in  our 
good  work.  It  is  true  He  also  takes  into 
account  the  difficulty  of  the  work,  the  pains 
we  have  taken  in  performing  it,  the  sacrifices 
we  have  made,  and  so  forth;  but  without 
a  good  intention  all  these  things  are  of  no 
value  for  heaven.  The  Pharisees  were  ordi- 
narily  good  people :  they  fasted  strictly,  gave  ^  ' 
alms,  and  recited  long  prayers,  but  they  had 
not  the  right  intention ;  they  did  these  things 
that  they  might  be  seen  and  praised  by  men. 
Did  they  receive  no  reward  for  the  good 
they  did?  Yes,  they  received  the  reward 
they  worked  for,  —  the  praises  of  men ;  but 
as  regards  any  further  reward  in  heaven 
Our  Lord  answers,  "Amen,  I  say  to  you,^^ 
they  have  received  their  reward."^  They 
received  what  they  labored  for,  and  hence 
had  nothing  more  to  expect.  God  will 
reward  in  eternity,  only  those  that  work  for 
Him;  they  that  work  for  themselves  or  for 
the  world  shall  receive  no  reward  in  heaven. 
They  that  work  for  Him  are  those  who 
1  Matt.  6. 2. 


214  ON   GOOD   WORKS 

are  in  the  state  of  grace,  and  perform  good 
works,  with  the  intention  of  pleasing  God 
and  of  earning  heaven. 

If  a  person  performs  a  good  work,  be  it 
ever  so  ffreat,  as,  for  instance,  buildinsr  a 
church,  and  he  only  does  this  to  be  honored 
by  men  as  a  great  benefactor,  he  will  receive 
no  reward  in  heaven  for  it,  because  he  did 
not  work  for  God  but  for  his  own  reputation. 
If,  however,  in  building  a  church,  his  principal 
intention  is  good,  —  he  wants  to  build  it  for 
the  glory  of  God  and  to  help  save  souls, — yet, 
with  this  good  intention,  he  also  wants  to 
receive  praise  and  recognition  from  men 
for  the  good  he  has  done,  he  will  receive 
his  reward  in  heaven,  but  it  will  not  be  as 
great  as  it  would  have  been  had  his  intention 
been  altogether  pure  and  not  mixed  with 
lower  motives.  That  absolute  purity  of 
intention,  where  we  seek  nothing  but  the 
glory  of  God,  is  very  rare  among  men.  We 
are  human,  and  human  motives  will  often 
creep  into  our  best  actions.  What  we  must 
strive  for  is  to  keep  our  intentions  as  pure  as 


ON   GOOD   WORKS  215 

possible,  to  repress  self-love  in  our  actions  as 
much  as  we  can.  The  less  of  the  love  of 
self  there  is  in  our  actions,  the  purer  our 
intention,  the  more  meritorious  shall  be  our 
good  works.  We  see  from  this  that  a  bad 
intention  may  ruin  the  best  work ;  an  imper- 
fect intention  may  destroy  a  great  part  of  the 
good  in  a  work  done  for  God ;  but  a  good  in- 
tention may  also  give  great  value  to  a  work  in 
itself  insignificant.  This  we  see  in  the  exam- 
ple of  the  widow  of  whom  Our  Lord  speaks  in 
the  gospel.  She  gave  only  a  very  small  piece 
of  money,  yet,  because  she  was  poor  and  gave 
the  little  she  had  out  of  the  love  of  God,  Our 
Lord  said  that  she  had  given  more  than  all 
the  others. 

Prayer,  fasting,  giving  of  alms,  are  in  them 
selves  good  works,  but  a  bad  intention  can 
make  them  bad,  a  good  intention  can  make 
them  better.  Eating,  drinking,  walking,  and 
the  like,  are  in  themselves  neither  good  nor 
bad,  but  the  intention  can  make  them  so.  If 
we  have  no  other  intention  but  to  satisfy  our 
hunger  or   to  walk  for   our   health,  we    do 


,->•/ 


2i6  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

not  merit  a  supernatural  reward;  but  if  we 
receive  food  and  drink  with  a  grateful  heart, 
say  grace  before  and  after  meals,  walk  and 
take  exercise  because  God  wants  us  to  take 
care  of  our  health  that  we  may  be  better  able 
to  serve  Him,  then  eating,  drinking,  walking, 
etc.,  become  meritorious  of  heaven  because 
these  things  are  done  for  the  glory  of  God. 
"  Whether  you  eat  or  drink  or  whatsoever 
else  you  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."^ 
Things  indifferent  in  themselves,  ix,  neither 
good  nor  bad,  become  good  by  a  good  in- 
tention. We  may  thus  serve  God  well  even 
in  doing  our  daily  actions.  The  story  is 
told  of  St.  Aloysius  that  whilst  playing  some 
game  with  his  companions,  one  of  them 
asked  the  others  what  they  would  do  if 
they  knew  that  they  had  to  die  within  an 
hour.  Various  ones  answered  that  they 
would  go  to  the  chapel  and  pray  and  so  pre- 
pare for  death,  but  St.  Aloysius  said,  "I  would^ 
keep  right  on  playing^  as  J  .am  now."  He 
could  speak  in  this  manner  because  he  felt 

1 1  Cor.  lo.  31. 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  217 

himself  to  be  in  the  state  of  grace,  and  knew 
that  in  playing  he  was  doing  the  will  of  God. 
By  playing  at  the  right  time,  he  was  doing 
what  his  superiors  wanted  him  to  do,  and 
hence  he  was  doing  what  God  wished  him 
to  do ;  this  was  serving  God  the  best  he 
could  at  the  time  being.  We  see  from  this 
that  even  such  things  as  playing  and  taking 
recreation  can  be  made  good  works,  when 
done  at  the  right  time  and  with  the  right 
intention;  such  things  at  their  proper  time 
may  be  just  as  good  as  prayer,  and  at  times 
even  better. 

The  good  intention  is  a  means  of  turning 
the  most  indifferent  things  into  valuable^  good 
acts.  In  the  Middle  Ages  men  were  looking- 
for  some  means  by  which  all  metals  could  be 
turned  into  gold  ;  this  they  called  the  phi- 
losopher's stone.  The  good  intention  is  such 
a  philosopher's  stone;  everything  that  we 
touch  with  it  turns  into  pure  gold,  —  yes,  into 
something  more  valuable  than  gold.  Inas- 
much as  God  puts  into  the  soul  of  every 
Christian  the  gift  of  sanctifying  grace.   He 


2i8  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

gives  each  one  a  means  by  which  he  may 
make  his  most  simple  and  most  insignificant 
actions  worthy  of  an  eternal  reward ;  all  that 
we  need  to  do  is  to  perform  them  with 
the  good  intention  of  serving  God  by  them. 
A"  Walk  worthy  of  God,  in  all  things  pleasing, 
being  fruitful  in  every  good  work."  ^ 

What  is  a  good  intention  ?  The  intention 
we  have  in  doing  something,  is  described 
best  by  saying  that  it  is  what  we  mean 
by  an  action.  Jonathan,  the  son  of  Saul,  ad- 
vised  David  to  hide  himself  from  Saul  for  a 
time  because  Saul  wanted  to  kill  David.  He 
meant  it  well  with  David  in  this  advice ;  his 
intention  was  good.  Joseph's  brothers  sold 
him  to  the  Ishmaelites  in  order  to  get  him  out 
of  the  way.  Did  they  have  a  good  intention  ? 
No,  their  purpose,  their  intention,  was  bad. 
We  have  a  good  intention,  when  we  mean  well, 
when  we  have  a  good  purpose.  To  have  a 
good  intention  in  all  that  we  do  means  that  in 
everything  we  wish  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and 
wish  to  serve  Him ;  that  we  wish  to  do  these 

1  Col.  I.  lo. 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  219 

things  to  give  honor  to  God,  to  make  Him 
better  known  and  loved  by  men,  and  to  do 
them  out  of  the  love  of  God.  God  created 
all  things  ;  the  angels  serve  Him  without  ever 
contradicting  His  will ;  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars  "  show  forth  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
firmament  declareth  the  work  of  His  hands."  ^ 
All  that  we  have  to  do  in  order  to  act  with  a 
good  intention  is  to  do  as  the  rest  of  creation 
does, — to  serve  God  and  praise  Him  the  best 
we  can.  All  that  we  have  to  do  is  to  make 
real  that  which  we  so  often  say, "  Glory  be  to  .^ 
the  Father  and  to  the  Son  and  to  the  Holy 
Ghost."  We  will  have  that  good  intention, 
if  we  are  satisfied  with  the  position  that  God 
has  given  us,  and  try  to  serve  Him  in  it  as 
well  as  we  can ;  —  if  we  say,  "  I  will  take  the 
place  in  the  general  order  of  things,  which 
God  has  pointed  out  for  me  ;  out  of  obedience 
to  Him  I  will  fulfil  the  duties  of  my  state  in 
life  to  the  best  of  my  powers ;  I  will  bear 
patiently  all  the  sufferings  that  God  may 
send  me.     One  who  has  such  intentions  has 

- 1  Psalm  18.  I. 


230  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

the  good  intentions  that  turn  all  actions  into 
pure  gold. 

To  form  a  good  intention  we  do  not  need 

any  long  formula  of  prayer.     A  few  sincere 

words,  or  even  a  raising  of  our  thoughts  to 

^God,  is  sufficient.     We  might   say,  "  O    my 

y  God,  all  for  Thee,"  or  use  some  similar  words 

■><*>, .... 

to  indicate  that  what  we  do  we  wish  to  do 
to  please  God.  This  we  should  do  especially 
in  the  morning,  so  that  by  this  good  intention 
we  may  sanctif}^  the  whole  day.  Since,  how- 
ever, we  easily  forget  the  good  resolutions  we 
have  made  in  the  morning,  and  by  sin  often 
revoke  the  e^ood  intention  formed,  it  is  well  to 
renew  the  good  intention  from  time  to  time 
during  the  day.  Grievous  sin  turns  our  soul 
away  from  God,  and  converts  it  to  creatures ; 
hence  the  good  intention  formed  to  do  all 
or  the  love  of  God,  is  also  destroyed.  It  is 
erefore  not  sufficient  to  form  a  good  inten- 
tion once  in  our  life,  or  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  since  there  is  danger  that  we  might 
have  annulled  it  by  sin.  It  is  advisable  to 
i  renew  our  good  intention   frequently,  espe- 


ON  GOOD  WORKS  221 

cially  in  the  morning  of  each  day,  so  that  the 
day  may  be  sanctified  to  God.  Our  work  be- 
comes easier  when  we  know  that  what  we  do 
we  are  doing,  not  for  the  perishable  goods  of 
this  world,  but  for  eternity ;  to  work  for  such 
a  reward  makes  work  a  pleasure.  There  is  a 
story  told  of  a  poor  lay-brother  of  some  order. 
This  poor  old  brother  was  very  simple  in  his 
life;  he  had  little  knowledge,  and  was  occu- 
pied nearly  exclusively  in  mending  the  clothes 
of  the  monks  in  the  monastery.  When  he 
came  to  die  he  was  full  of  joy,  and  seemed  to 
have  no  fear  of  death  whatsoever.  He  was 
asked  how  it  was  that  he  seemed  so  joyful, 
whether  he  had  no  fear  of  the  judgment  that 
follows  death  ?  He  answered,  why  should  I 
fear  death  .r^  I  know  that  I  am  going  to 
heaven,  for  I  have  the  key  of  heaven  right  f 
here  with  me.  With  these  words  he  pulled  out 
the  needle  with  which  he  had  worked  for  years, 
and  said,  that  at  every  stitch,  he  had  made  the 
good  intention  of  working  only  for  the  honor 
and  glory  of  God.  "  And  is  God  to  let  me 
go  without  a  reward  after  I  have  worked  for 


222  ON  GOOD  WORKS 

Him  for  so  many  years  ?  "  These  were  the 
good  brother's  last  words.  His  hope  in  the 
reward  of  heaven  was  certainly  well  founded, 
and  no  doubt  was  fulfilled.  From  this  ex- 
ample we  can  learn  that,  no  matter  what  our 
work  may  be,  we  can  turn  the  instruments  of 
our  daily  occupation  into  keys  of  heaven. 


IX 

NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF  ACTUAL  GRACE 
NATURE  OF  ACTUAL  GRACE 

What  is  actual  grace  ? 
Actual  grace  is  that  help  of  God  which  enlightens  our 
mind  and  moves  our  will  to  shun  evil  and  do  good, 

Grace  is  a  supernatural  gift  of  God,  be- 
stowed on  us  through  the  merits  of  Jesus 
Christ,   for    our    salvation.       By    our    own  ^ 
efforts  we   can  acquire  all  kinds  of  knowl-  ' 
edge  and  accomplishments ;  we  can  acquire  ' 
wealth ;   but  we  cannot  by  our  own  efforts 
acquire  grace.     Grace  is  something  that  we 
cannot  earn  ;  it  is  a  free  gift  of  God,     Grace 
is  a  supernatural  gift,   Le,  a  gift  which  has 
to  do  with  our  eternal  salvation,  and  is,  there- 
fore, nothing  of    this  world.      All    that  we 
are  and  have,  comes  from  God ;  everything 
is  His  gift.     God  gives   us  food  and  cloth- 
ing;  He  gives  us  understanding    and  free 
223 


224  NATURE  AND   NECESSITY  OF 

will ;  He  gives  us  the  talents  which  we  pos- 
sess; He  gives  us  all  that  we  need  for  life. 
God  makes  the  sun  shine,  and  He  makes 
the  rain  fall;  He  makes  the  plants  grow 
and  the  trees  bring  forth  their  fruits.  These 
things  are  helps  for  our  natural  life;  they 
p  are  natural  gifts.  Grace  is  not  one  of  these 
^'''  'natural  gifts;  it  is  above  nature.  By  grace 
we  understand  something  which  God  gives 
us  to  aid  us  in  working  out  our  salvation. 
Grace  helps  us  to  avoid  sin,  to  be  sorry  for 
the  sins  committed,  to  do  penance  for  them, 
to  perform  good  works,  to  pray  rightly, 
to  reach  heaven  and  be  eternally  happy. 
When  we  pray,  "  Lead  us  not  into  tempta- 
tion, but  deliver  us  from  evil,"  then  we  pray 
for  grace.  God  gives  us  this  help,  because 
Jesus  offered  Himself  for  us,  as  a  sacrifice 
07t  the  cross,  and  thus  merited  an  infinite 
abundance  of  grace  for  us. 

Grace  has  different  names,  according  to 
the  different  purposes  for  which  it  is  given. 
When  it  is  given  to  help  us  perform  some 
good  act  it  is  called    actual  grace.      It  is 


ACTUAL  GRACE  225 

called  sanctifying  grace,  when  it  sanctifies 
us  and  makes  us  pleasing  to  God,  as  the 
saints  are  pleasing  to  Him.  When  we  pray 
in  the  morning  and  offer  our  hearts  and  souls 
to  God,  and  ask  Him  to  keep  us  pure  and 
to  protect  us  in  the  time  of  temptation,  we 
pray  for  actual  grace,  for  His  help  to  do 
good  and  resist  sin.  When,  however,  we 
renew  our  baptismal  vows,  and  ask  God  to 
renew  in  us  the  grace  He  gave  us  in  Bap- 
tism, then  we  pray  for  sanctifying  grace, — 
the  grace  that  makes  us  children  of  God 
and  objects  of  His  love.  Sanctifying  grace 
makes  us  saints ;  actual  grace  calls  us  to  be- 
come saints,  and  helps  us  to  do  the  work 
of  saints.  Sanctifying  grace  is  something 
permanent  that  stays  in  our  souls  until 
driven  out  by  sin ;  actual  grace  is  a  passing 
help  to  do  something  good. 

When  the  Archangel  Gabriel  came  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  saluted  her,  Hail  full 
of  grace,  and  announced  to  her  that  she  was 
to  become  the  mother  of  the  Saviour,  what 
grace  was  it  that  he  spoke  of  then?     Evi- 

Q 


226  NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF 

dently  he  spoke  of  sanctifying  grace,  of 
which  the  soul  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was 
full,  and  which  made  her  so  pleasing  in 
the  eyes  of  God.  Had  she  not  had  sancti- 
fying grace,  she  would  not  have  been  so 
pleasing  to  God  as  to  be  chosen  to  become 
the  mother  of  His  only  Son.  This  grace 
she  possessed  through  the  merits  of  Jesus. 
It  is  true,  Jesus  had  not  yet  died,  and 
hence  had  not  yet  merited  that  grace ;  God 
had,  however,  promised  to  send  His  Son  to 
redeem  the  world,  and,  in  view  of  the  great 
graces  that  He  was  to  merit,  God  gave  this 
grace  to  her  who  was  to  be  His  mother.  In 
the  old  law,  the  Patriarchs,  and,  in  general, 
all  good  people,  were  to  obtain  justification, 
Le,  sanctifying  grace,  through  the  hope  of  a 
Redeemer  to  come;  how  much  more,  then, 
she  who  was  to  be  His  mother!  She  was 
not  merely  sanctified  and  cleansed  from  sin 
/through  the  merits  of  Christ,  but  from  the 
^  very  first  moment  of  her  existence  she  was 
preserved  from  the  stain  of  sin.  Her  soul 
was   created  in   sanctifying    grace.     It  was 

V 


ACTUAL  GRACE  227 

beautiful  and  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God 
from  the  very  first  moment  of  its  being. 
To  commemorate  this  privilege  the  Church 
celebrates  every  year  the  feast  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception  on  the  8th  of  Decem- 
ber. On  this  day  we  honor  Mary  because 
from  the  first  moment  of  her  existence  she 
was  filled  with  sanctifying  grace,  and  for 
this  reason  was  free  from  all  sin.  We  can- 
not have  sanctifying  grace  and  be  friends 
of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  be  in  sin  and 
so  be  His  enemies.  Just  as  Mary  was  con- 
ceived in  sanctifying  grace,  so  she  also  pre- 
served it  for  the  rest  of  her  life.  She  never 
lost  by  sin  the  friendship  of  God  in  which 
she  was  born.  The  angel  said  to  her,  "  The 
Lord  is  with  thee,"  and  the  Lord  was  with 
her  through  sanctifying  grace,  and  remained 
ever  with  her.  By  grace  her  soul  became, 
as  it  were,  a  house  of  gold,  in  which  the 
King  of  heaven  loved  to  dwell. 

We  see  now  the  difference  which  exists 
between  actual  grace  and  sanctifying  grace. 
Let  us   study   actual  grace,   a    little    more 


228  NATURE  AND  NECESSITY   OF 

closely.  We  will  first  consider  its  nature; 
secondly,  its  necessity ;  thirdly,  whether  God 
gives  His  grace  to  everybody;  and,  finally, 
what  we  have  to  do  on  our  part  in  regard  to 
the  grace  we  receive. 

Actual  grace  is  so  called  because  it  is  the 
grace  by  which  God  assists  us  in  our  acts,  so 
that  we  may  shun  evil  and  do  good.  How 
does  God  help  us  by  actual  grace  ?  Is  it 
externally,  as  we  would  help  a  man  to  carry^ 
a  load  he  could  not  carry  alone?  Is  it  by 
acting  on  the  powers  of  the  body  ?  No,  that 
would  be  merely  a  natural  help ;  grace  is  a 
supernatural  help.  God  aids  us  by  internal 
assistance ;  by  acting,  not  on  the  powers  of 
the  body,  but  on  those  of  the  soul.  Now, 
what  are  the  powers  of  the  soul  on  which 
He  acts?  Man  differs  from  the  animals,  as 
he  has  intellect  and  free  will.  These,  then, 
are  the  principal  faculties  of  the  soul.  It  is 
on  these  that  God  acts ;  it  is  by  these,  man 
is  to  know  and  love  God.  It  is  upon  the 
intellect  and  the  will,  then,  that  God  acts  in 
a  supernatural  way  by  actual  grace. 


ACTUAL  GRACE  229 

How  does  God  act  07i  our  intellect?  He 
enlightens  it;  He  gi^es  it  a  supernatural 
light  by  which  we  see  the  supernatural  end 
for  which  He  has  created  us,  and  also  the 
means  to  reach  that  end.  When  God 
created  our  first  parents,  He  gave  them  a 
right  understanding  of  the  purpose  of  their 
existence,  but  they  lost  this  by  original  sin, 
and  were  weakened  even  in  their  natural 
powers  of  intellect.  Since  we  are  born  in 
this  sin,  and  inherit  the  consequences  of  it, 
it  is  necessary  for  us  to  receive  from  God  a 
supernatural  light  that  we  may  understand 
aright,  our  supernatural  end.  This  God 
gives  us  by  actual  grace  by  which  He  so 
enlightens  our  mind  that  we  may  know  our 
real  destiny  as  Christians,  our  relation  to 
Him,  and  know  His  holy  will  in  regard  to  us. 
By  the  light  of  actual  grace,  we  see  for  what 
we  are  intended.  When  we  wander  from 
the  path  which  leads  to  that  end,  it  is  by 
actual  grace  that  we  recognize  our  sad  condi- 
tion, it  is  by  actual  grace  that  we  see  the  ^^. 
danger  ahead.     By  actual  grace  we  recognize    ' 


230  NATURE   AND  NECESSITY   OF 

the  greatness  of  our  sin,  we  see  how  ungrate- 
ful we  have  been  to  God.  By  this  same 
grace  we  understand  that  we  cannot  help 
ourselves,  but  are  entirely  dependent  on  the 
almighty  help  of  God.  By  actual  grace  we 
see  that  our  salvation  lies  in  a  sincere  return 
to  Him  from  whom  we  have  strayed  by  sin. 

%««»  How  God  enlightens  our  minds  by  actual 
grace,  we  see  beautifully  illustrated  in  the 
case  of  David.  He  had  offended  God  by 
grievous  sin,  and,  far  from  acknowledging  his 
guilt,  he  tried  to  cover  it  up  by  the  commis- 
sion of  another  crime,  —  that  of  murder. 
God  sent  the  prophet,  Nathan,  to  speak  to  his 
conscience,  and  represent  to  him  the  great- 
ness of  his  sin,  to  show  him  the  extent  of 
his  unfaithfulness  and  ingratitude  to  God. 
Under  the  influence  of  the  grace  of  God  and 
the  words  of  the  prophet,  he  began  to  see  the 
enormity  of  his  crimes,  and  with  deep  sorrow 
of  heart,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  have  sinned  be- 
fore the  Lord ; "  and  after  that  his  constant 

-  ^prayer  was  :  "  I^  know  my  iniquities,  and  my^ 
sin  is  always  before  me.     To  Thee  only  have 


ACTUAL  GRACE  231 

I  sinned,  and  have  done  evil  before  Thee." 
With  this  recognition  of  guilt  he  received  a 
great  longing  for  interior  sanctity.  For  this 
he  prayed  in  the  following  words  :  "  Create  aT 
clean  heart  in  me,  O  God,  and  renew  a 
right  spirit  in  my  bowels.  Cast  me  not 
away  from  Thy  face ;  and  take  not  Thy 
Holy  Spirit  from  me."^  This  was  the  work 
of  actual  grace.  By  this  grace  his  intellect 
was  enlightened  so  that  he  saw  the  great- 
ness of  his  sin,  and  did  sincere  penance. 
Without  this  supernatural  light,  he  would 
not  have  recognized  his  sin  and  done  pen- 
ance for  it.  On  the  contrary  he  would,  in 
all  probability,  have  added  sins  upon  sins. 
To  save  him  from  this  terrible  condition  God 
sent  the  prophet,  Nathan,  and  at  the  same 
time  enlightened  his  mind  to  see  the  truth  of 
the  prophet's  words,  and  thus  be  moved  to  do 
penance.  This  interior  light  of  the  intellect 
was  actual  grace. 

By  actual  grace  God  not  only  enlightens  tJte 
intellect  but  also  moves  the  will  to  shun  evil 

1  Psalm  50. 12-13. 


232  NATURE   AND   NECESSITY   OF 

,a7td  do  good.     One  would  think  that  it  was 
I  sufficient  to  enlighten  our  mind  and  show  us 
\  the  beauty  of  truth,  to  make  us  love  it  and 
,    'avoid  evil ;  but  unfortunately  this  is  not  true. 
•  J    jit     happens  only  too  often  that  we   know 
'  jthe  truth  and  understand  what  is  good,  but 
M  we  still  do  that  which  is  evil.    "  I   am  de- 
l  lighted  with  the  law  of    God  according  to 
\the  inward  man,  but  I  see  another  law  in 
my   members,  fighting   against    the    law   of 
my  mind,  and  captivating   me    in   the   law 
of   sin."^     Even  if   a  man    understands  the 
sad  condition  of  his  soul,  and  the  necessity 
of   doing  penance,    of   himself   he   has   not 
the  power  to  rise  from  sin;  he  needs  the 
help  of  God.     God  gives  him  this  help  by 
moving  his  will   through  actual  grace.     By 
actual   grace    God    moves    the   will    of    the 
sinner  to  hate  sin,  to  fear  the  eternal  pun- 
ishment of   hell,  and    He  gives  him  super- 
natural strength  to  free  himself  from  what  is 
evil  and  to  cling  to  that  which  is  good.     To 
the  just  man,  ue,  one  who   is  in  the   state 

^  Rom.  7.  22,  23. 


ACTUAL  GRACE  233 

of  grace,  God  gives  an  intense  desire  for 
the  happiness  of  heaven,  and  by  this  leads 
him  to  practise  virtue  with  joy,  and  to 
persevere  in  good  until  death. 

Actual  grace  consists,  therefore,  in  both  "' 
an  enlightenment  of  the  mind  and  a  mov- ' 
ing  of  the  will.  Hence  our  catechism 
defines  it  as  that  help  of  God  by  which  He 
enlightens  our  mind  and  moves  our  will  to 
shun  evil  and  to  do  good.  From  this  we 
see  the  importance  of  actual  grace  for  eter- 
nal salvation.  All  persons  who  take  life 
seriously  and  seek  to  reach  the  purpose  for 
which  they  were  created,  appreciate  the  value 
of  actual  grace,  and  continually  pray  for  it. 

et  us  say  with   the   Psalmist :   "  Give   nie^y^ 
understanding  and   I  will    search   Thy  law, 
nd    I    will    keep  it   with   my  whole   heart. 

ead   me   in   the   path    of   Thy   command- 
ments, for   this   same   I    have  desired.     In- 
cline  my  heart   unto    Thy  testimonies   and 
Vot  to  covetousness."  ^ 

By  the  sin  of  our  first  parents  our  under- 

1  Psalm  118.  34-36. 


234  NATURE   AND   NECESSITY   OF 

standing  was  not  taken  away,  but  it  was 
weakened.  This  weakness  of  the  under- 
standing and  of  the  will  in  consequence  of 
original  sin  has  been  handed  down  to  us. 
We  can  still  understand  the  things  of  nature, 
but  we  cannot  of  ourselves  know  the  truths 
which  refer  to  our  eternal  salvation;  these 
God  has  made  known  to  us  by  revelation; 
to  know  these  we  need  the  help  of  God. 
It  is  for  this  that  the  Psalmist  prays,  when 
he  says,  "  Give  me  understanding,"  ix,  give 
me  a  right  understanding  to  know  what  I 
must  do  to  be  happy  forever.  "  Lead  me 
in  the  path  of  Thy  commandments  "  that 
I  may  be  able  to  observe  them.  Man  is 
made  for  heaven,  and  God  has  implanted 
a  strong  desire  for  happiness  in  his  heart. 
However,  he  must  know  the  way  that  leads 
to  happiness,  and  this  he  cannot  know  un- 
less God  points  it  out  to  him.  God's  grace 
is  the  light  that  leads  him  in  the  path  of 
.  God's  commandments.  "  Incline  my  heart 
unto  Thy  testimonies  and  not  to  covetous- 
ness."     By  reason  of  original  sin,  man  from 


ACTUAL  GRACE  235 

his  youth  is  more  incHned  to  evil  than  to 
good.  If  God  does  not  give  us  His  help, 
we  cannot  overcome  this  evil  inclination. 
Hence  we  pray  that  God  will  act  on  our 
heart  and  move  it  to  go  not  after  the  things 
of  the  senses,  but  that  we  may  rather  seek 
the  things  which  God  has  made  known  to  us 
and  promised  us,  —  His  testimonies. 

NECESSITY   OF   GRACE 

Is  grace  necessary  to  salvation  ? 

Grace  is  necessary  to  salvation  because  without  grace 
we  can  do  jzothing  to  merit  heaven. 

Grace  is  not  merely  vahtable^  but  it  is  ah-  % 
sohitcly  necessary  for  salvation.     It  is  abso 
lately  necessary  for  the  unbeliever  that   he 
shall  believe;  it  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  sinner  that  he  shall   be  freed  from  his 
sins ;    it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  just 
man  that  he  shall  persevere  in  the  state  of 
grace.    Without  the  help  of  actual  grace,  one  . 
who  is  an  enemy  of  God  cannot  become  His  . 
friend ;  without  it,  one  who  is  a  friend  of  God  , 
cannot  remain  such  for  any  length  of  time. 


I  • 


236  NATURE   AND   NECESSITY  OF 

Actual  grace  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
one  who  is  not  justified^  Le.  who  is  not  in 
the  state  of  grace.  It  is  necessary  for  the 
heathen  and  the  Jew  that  they  believe  and 
be  baptized.  How  could  such  a  one  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  true  religion,  if 
God  did  not  give  him  a  supernatural  light 
to  see  the  truth?  He  has  been  taught  a 
false  religion  from  his  childhood,  and  has 
grown  up  with  the  strongest  prejudices 
against  Christianity ;  or  perhaps  he  has  fallen 
into  all  sorts  of  vices  and  sins.  If  God  did 
not  give  him  strength,  how  could  he  lift 
the  veil  from  his  eyes,  or  raise  himself  from 
the  mire  of  sin  into  which  he  has  fallen? 
For  such  a  one,  actual  grace  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  salvation.  Likewise,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  for  one  who  has  been 
baptized  and  has  fallen  again  into  mortal 
sin.  Without  the  help  of  God  such  a  one 
would  not  come  to  the  recognition  of  his 
miserable  condition,  and  form  a  firm  reso- 
lution of  returning  to  God.  Hence,  when 
we  wish  to  receive  the  sacrament  of   Pen- 


ACTUAL  GRACE  237 

ance  worthilyXwe  pray  for  the  light  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  to  know  our  sins,  and  we  pray 
for  His  help  to  repent  of  them  and  avoid 
them  in  the  future.  Without  actual  grace 
we  should  be  blind  to  the  danger  in  which 
we  are,  of  losing  our  eternal  salvation.  Just 
as  soon  as  the  light  of  divine  grace  shines 
upon  our  souls,  we  see  there  the  multitude  ; 
of  sins  of  which  we  are  guilty,  —  envy,  ha-  ''" 
tred,  impurity,  uncharitableness,  rash  judg- 
ment, indifference  in  works  of  religion  and^ 
piety,  anger,  revenge,  etc.  Without  God's 
grace  we  should  not  have  real  sorrow  iox 
our  sins ;  we  should  have  no  hatred  of  them  j 
we  should  have  no  firm  resolution  to  avoid 
them  in  the  future;  our  confession  would^ 
be  useless.  Without  the  grace  of  Godj 
many  of  us  would  not  be  able  to  over*- 
come  the  false  shame  which  would  prevent 
us  from  making  a  sincere  confession.  ^ 

As  actual  grace  is  necessary  for  a  good 
confession,  so  t^  is  also  necessary  for  the 
worthy  reception  of  the  other  sacraments. 
Who  could  prepare  his  heart  properly  for 


238  NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF 

the  worthy  reception  of  Holy  Communion, 
unless  the  grace  of  God  assisted  him  ?     Chil- 
dren   generally   receive    Holy   Communion 
most  worthily,  and  yet   with   them   the   in- 
tellect and  will  are  weak;  how  could  they 
prepare  themselves  so  well,  if  the  grace  of 
,.  God  did   not  help  them?     Or  how  could 
*  one  who  is  sick,  prepare  himself  to  receive 
f  the  last  sacraments,   if  the   grace   of   God 
were  not  there  to  assist  him?     He  is  over- 
come with  bodily  pains ;  his  mind  is  taken 
up  with  his  sickness;  without  grace  he  could 
do  nothing. 

Grace  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order 
that  we  be  converted  to  God  and  receive 
the  sacraments  worthily.  This  is  not  all; 
without  grace  we  ca7inot  perform  any  work 
of  importance  connected  with  our  salvation. 
Without  grace  we  cannot  decide  the  im- 
portant question  of  the  state  of  life  God 
wishes  us  to  embrace.  Without  grace  we 
cannot  perform  the  important  duties  of  our 
calling  properly.  God  must  assist  us  con- 
tinually.    How  could  a  priest,  for  instance, 


ACTUAL  GRACE  239 

perform  the  important  obligations  of  the 
priesthood  with  profit  to  himself  and  to 
those  intrusted  to  his  care  if  God  did  not 
give  the  help  of  His  all-powerful  grace? 

Without  the  aid  of  divine  grace  we  can- 
not receive  the  sacraments  worthily,  nor  can 
we  do  anything  of  importance  connected 
with  our  salvation ;  but  can  we  not  perform 
even  the  ordinary  works  of  piety  without 
the  help  of  God's  grace?  Our  catechism 
answers  this  question  by  saying,  "without 
grace  we  can  do  nothing  to  merit  heaven." 
It  does  not  say  that  without  grace  we  can- 
not do  much,  but  absolutely  nothing.  With- 
out the  help  of  God  we  cannot  recite  the 
Our  Father,  or  the  Hail  Mary  properly. 
Without  the  help  of  God's  grace  we  cannot 
even  pronounce  the  name  of  Jesus  so  as  to 
benefit  us  for  eternal  life.  "  No  man  can  say, 
the  Lord  Jesus  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost." '^5 
^;:..  .Of  course,  when  we  say  that  without  the 
^*"grace  of  God  we  can  do  nothing  good,  we 
do  not  wish  to  say  that  all  that  is  done  with- 
1 1  Cor.  12. 3. 


240  NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF 

out  grace  is  bad  and  sinful.  Such  works 
are  not  meritorious  for  heaven ;  they  are  not 
supernatural;  they  may  be  naturally  good 
but  useless  for  heaven.  Of  ourselves  we  can 
do  nothing  to  merit  the  eternal  reward  of 
heaven ;  heaven  is  a  gift  of  God.  Without 
the  help  of  grace  we  may  give  alms,  honor 
our  parents,  even  recite  prayers,  but  such 
works  would  avail  nothing  for  heaven ;  they 
are  worthy  of  a  reward  in  this  life,  but  not  in 
the  next.  Such  works  are  not  performed 
with  God  and  for  God,  and  hence  do  not 
deserve  a  supernatural  reward  from  Him. 

Grace  is  necessary  for  every  good  and 
salutary  work,  be  it  great  or  small.  When 
we  wish  to  perform  some  good  work,  we  first 
make  a  resolution  to  that  effect.  This  is  the 
beginning  of  the  good  work.  Then  we  take 
the  work  in  hand,  and,  finally,  complete  it. 
Let  us  suppose  that  we  are  going  to  receive 
the  sacrament  of  Penance.  We  begin  by 
making  up  our  mind  to  go  to  confession; 
then  we  pray  for  the  help  of  the  grace  of 
God,  we  examine  our  consciences  carefully, 


ACTUAL   GRACE  241 

we  excite  in  ourselves  a  sincere  sorrow  for 
our  sins,  and  make  a  firm  resolution  to  avoid 
them  in  the  future,  and  then  confess  them 
frankly.  We  accept  the  penance  the  priest 
gives  us,  and  make  good  any  damage  that 
we  may  have  done  to  others.  For  all  this, 
the  grace  of  God  is  necessary:  it  is  neces- 
sary to  resolve  to  go  to  confession,  the  good 
thought  comes  from  God ;  grace  is  necessary 
to  continue  the  good  work,  and  it  is  neces- 
sary to  bring  the  good  work  to  a  good  con- 
clusion. Actual  grace  is  necessary  to  begin, 
continue,  and  complete  every  salutary  work. 

HMHrmniJl 'inw  "  W"i'">"«'>inn'iii|ii''mwiiH(P"W'nii  mm\>\mi*nimtii u  imii>iiuii<i»i>iiiiwwi"rrr-i 

If  the  good  thought  comes  to  us  to  per- 
form some  good  work,  such  as  the  reception 
of  the  sacraments,  whence  is  this  good 
thought.^  Is  it  from  ourselves?  No;  St.  Paul 
teaches  us,  "  It  is  God  who  worketh  in  you^ 
to  will."  When  we  carry  out  a  o-ood  resolu- 
tion,  it  is  again  God  who  "worketh  in  you 
also  to  accomplish."  ^  It  is  by  the  operation 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  we  will  and  perform 
good  works.     God  it  is,  who  works  in  us  the 

1  Philip.  2.  13. 


242  NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF 

good  will,  and  who  gives  us  strength  to  ac- 
complish the  good  deed.  Of  our  own 
,  j^ strength  we  can  do  nothing.  "  Not  that' we 
are  sufficient  to  think  anything  of  ourselves 
as  of  ourselves,  but  our  sufficiency  is  from 
God."  ^  We  can  do  good  only  through  the 
help  of  God's  grace.  With  His  help  we  can 
do  everything.  "  I  can  do  all  things  in  Him 
who  strengtheneth  me."  ^  God  by  His  grace 
encourages  us  to  do  good  works ;  He  accom- 
panies the  good  work  by  His  grace,  and  by 
the  same  grace  He  brings  it  to  a  successful 
close.  "The  grace  of  God  is  with  us  from 
the  beginning  to  the  completion,"  says  St. 
Augustine.  "  The  grace  of  God  prevents 
man  {z.e.  goes  before  him)  that  he  will,  and 
accompanies  him  that  he  will  not  in  vain."^ 
God  leads  us  into  the  path  of  salvation.  He 
accompanies  us  that  we  remain  in  it,  and 
finally  brings  us  to  the  end  of  our  journey. 
"  God  completes  by  His  cooperation  what 
He   has  begun   by    His   operation  .  .  .  be- 

1  2  Cor.  3.  5.  2  Philip.  4.  13. 

•  Cited  by  AUioli,  New  Testament. 


ACTUAL  GRACE  243 

cause  if  He  did  not  operate  that  we  will,  or 
did  not  cooperate  when  we  will,  we  would 
not  be  able  to  do  anything  good,"^  says 
St.  Augustine. 

I^This  great  truth  of  the  necessity  of  grace 
for  salvation  should  excite  in  us,  a  great  dis- 
trust in  our  own  strength,  and  at  the  same 
time,  great  confidence  in  God.  We  should 
acknowledge  with  gratitude  that  all  that  we 
are  and  have  comes  from  Him,  and  that 
of  ourselves  we  are  nothing.  Just  as  God 
made  all  things,  keeps  them  in  being,  and_^ 
directs  all  by  His  providence,  so  He  also  ^> 
works  the  Redemption  and  sanctification  of  vv-/<^<2 
all.  By  His  holy  grace  He  redeems  us, 
sanctifies  us,  and  directs  us  to  do  good. 
He  gives  us  supernatural  life,  nourishes  it, 
and  preserves  it.  In  the  natural  order  He 
makes  all  things  live  by  the  light  of  the 
sun;  in  the  supernatural  order  all  live  by 
theTTJht  of  His  grace.  "  The  light  of  Thy  . 
countenance,  O  Lord,  is  signed  upon  us."J 
"The    Spirit    breatheth    where    He   will."^ 

^  De  gratia  et  lib.  arbit.  c.  17.       ^  Psalm  4.  7.       •  John  3.  8. 


r<ar<y 


244  NATURE  AND   NECESSITY  OF 

God  is  the  source  of  all  life,  natural  and 
A  supernatural.  "  What  hast  thou  that  thou 
hast  not  received,  and  if  thou  hast 
received,  why  dost  thou  glory  as  if  thou 
hadst  not  received  it  ?  "  ^  All  that  is  good 
comes  from  God,  the  source  of  all  goodness. 
Of  ourselves  we  can  sin  and  do  evil,  but 
we  cannot  do  anything  to  rise  from  sin  or  to 
merit  heaven.  Natural  powers  cannot  per- 
form supernatural  works,  and  merely  natural 
works  do  not  merit  a  supernatural  reward. 
X  These  thoughts  should  make  us  humble,  and 
humility  leads  to  God.  The  more  we  trust 
in  Him  rather  than  in  ourselves,  the  more 
ready  will  He  be  to  help  us. 

This  doctrine  of  our  entire  dependence 
upon  God  is  not  flattering  to  human  pride. 
It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that  some  have 
been  found  who  were  unwilling  to  believe  it. 
Thus,  a  British  monk,  named  Pelagius,  taught 
he  error  that  we  could  do  good,  worthy  of 
heaven,  through  JjUIJo^^^l^eogth^  Others 
after  him,  called  Semi-Pelagians,  taught  that 

1 1  Cor.  4.  7. 


ACTUAL  GRACE  245 

we  could,  at  least,  make  a  beginning.     Both 
of  these  false  doctrines  were  condemned  as 
heretical,  by  the  Church  in  the  Council  of 
Orange,  in  the  year  529.     The    Fathers  of 
this  Council  declared  solemnly:  If  any  man 
s3y   that   by   our   natural    strength   we  can 
think  or  will  anything:  good,  worthy  of  eter- 
nal  salvation,  or  that  we  can  consent  to  the 
teaching  of  faith,  i.e,  the  Holy  Gospels,  with- 
out  the    illumination  and  assistance   of  the 
Holy  Spirit  who  gives  sweetness  to  the  con- 
sent and  acceptance   of  divine    truth,   such 
a  one  is  detained   in   heretical  spirit.     The^'' 
CouncU^o|  Trent  teaches  similarly :  If   any\ 
man  affirm  that  we  can,  without  the  help  of) 
the  Holy  Ghost,  believe,  hope,  and  love,  oi^i 
do   penance  as  we  should,  ...  let  him   bd 
anathema,^  i.e,   excluded   from   the    Churchi 

St.  Au2;u§tine,  bishop  of  Hippo,  one  of  the \^ 
greatest  lights  of  the  Church,  fought  against 
this   heresy.     This  great    saint  had    in   his 
youth  experienced   the   helplessness   of   un- 
aided nature ;  he  had  found  out  that  of  him- 

1  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  VI,  c.  3. 


246  NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF 

self  man  is  weak,  and  cannot  rise  from  his 
fall.  In  his  youth  he  had  fallen  into  bad 
ways,  but  his  pious  mother,  St.  Monica, 
prayed  for  him  without  ceasing,  until,  by 
her  prayer,  she  finally  brought  about  his  con- 
version. Out  of  curiosity  he  went  to  hear 
the  sermons  of  St.  Ambrose,  the  archbishop 
of  Milan,  and  through  these  sermons,  God 
brought  him  to  the  knowledge  of  his  miser- 
able condition.  Of  himself  he  would  not 
have  been  able  to  dispel  the  darkness  of  un- 
belief, nor  would  he  have  been  able  to  raise 
himself  from  the  abyss  of  sin.  It  was  God 
who  took  hold  of  him  with  His  mighty  hand, 
and  raised  him  up.  This  was  brought  about 
in  the  following  way.  One  day  Augustine 
was  in  a  garden  with  his  friend  Alypius. 
He  was  filled  with  sadness  at  the  state  of  his 
soul  which  the  sermons  of  St.  Ambrose 
brought  him  to  recognize.  He  was  on  the 
point  of  despairing  when  suddenly  he  heard 
a  beautiful  voice  saying  to  him,  "  Take  and 
read.'*  He  opened  the  Scriptures  which  he 
had  at   hand,  and   read  the  words,  "  Let  us 


ACTUAL  GRACE  247 

walk  honestly  as  in  the  day ;  not  in  rioting  4 
and  drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and  im- 
purities, not  in  contention  and  envy;  but 
put  you  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make 
not  provision  for  the  flesh  in  its  concupis- 
cences." ^^  When  he  had  read  these  words  he 
understood  that  the  inspiration  came  from 
God,  and  he  then  and  there  resolved  to  give 
himself  entirely  to  Jesus.  With  his  friend 
Alypius,  he  hastened  to  his  good  mother  to 
inform  her  of  his  resolve  and  gladden  her 
heart.  St.  Monica  was  transported  with  joy 
at  the  conversion  of  her  son,  and  they  both 
joined  their  voices  in  giving  praise  and  thanks- 
giving to  Him  who  had  finally  heard  her 
earnest  and  persevering  prayer.  In  this  way 
St.  Augustine  had  experienced  in  himself  the 
weakness  of  man  and  the  power  of  divine  grace. 
When,  therefore,  the  proud  Pelagius  arose 
and  taught  that  man  of  his  own  strength 
could  form  the  resolution  of  returning  to 
God,  and  could  without  God's  special  help 
actually  return  to  Him,  also  that  man  by  his 

1  Rom.  13.  13,  14. 


248  NATURE  AND   NECESSITY   OF 

natural  powers,  could  do  good  and  merit 
heaven ;  then  also  did  St.  Augustine  come 
forth  as  the  champion  of  grace,  and  with  the 
keenness  of  his  intellect  refute  the  proud 
assertions  of  the  heretics.  St.  Augustine 
taught  that  grace  is  necessary  for  the  unjusti- 
fied that  he  be  converted,  and  it  is  also  neces- 
sary for  the  just  man  that  he  continue  to  lead 
a^  virtuous  life.  As  regards  the  first,  namely 
the  unconverted,  he  says,  in  speaking  of  the 
text  of  St.  Paul,  2  Cor.  3,  5  ("  Not  that  we 
are  sufficient  to  think  anything  of  ourselves, 

^^"^S^of  ourselves ;  but  our  sufficiency  is  from 

God  ") :   "  If  we  are  not  sufficient  of  ourselves 

.  to   think   anything,  then   we   are    not   suffi- 

4  *  cient  of  ourselves  to  believe,  and  the  power 
1  to  believe  is  also  of  God."  ^  Concerning 
.another  passage,  John  6,  44  ("  No  man  can 
come  to  Me  except  the  Father,  who  hath  sent 
Me,  draw  him "),  he  remarks :  "  It  is  faith 
that  draws  us  to  the  Father,  therefore,  if 
this  were  not  a  free  gift  of  God,  the  Lord 
would  not  say :  '  No  man  can  come,' "  etc.^ 

^  De  Praed.  1.  i.  c.  2.        ^  Epist.  194,  ad Sixtum.  n.  12. 


ACTUAL  GRACE  249 

Again   he  says,  "  Faith  would  not  be  in  us, 
if  God  did  not  give  to  each  his  measure  of 
faith."  ^     Of  those  that  are  already  justified 
he  tells  us  that  grace  is  also  necessary  io/ 
them,  "  As  the  eye  of  the  body,  although  it 
is  perfectly  sound,  cannot   see,  unless  it  be 
illumined  by  light,  so  also  man,  though  he  ■■ 
be  justified,  cannot  live  rightly,  unless  he  be 
illumined  by  the  light  of  divine  grace."  ^     Sti  '"       y 
Augustine  fought   against  the  errors  of  the^ 
Pelagians  by  all  the  means  at  his  command. 
In  a  council  of  the  African  bishops  he  exposed 
the  errors  so  clearly  that  the  Pope  again  con- 
demned them,  and  the   emperor,  Honorius, 
banished    Pelagius   and    Celestius   from   his 
dominions. 

The  heresies  that  man  can  do  good  to 
merit  salvation,  or  that  he  can  at  least  make 
a  beginning  without  the  help  of  God,  had 
their  origin  in  human  pride.  Pride  is  the 
sin  that  God  most  detests ;  it  is  the  begin- 
ning of  all  other  sins.  The  proud  man 
makes  himself  unworthy  of  the  grace  of  God 

1  Epist.  186,  adPaulin.  n.  4.         ^  j)g  ^^t.  et  gr.  c.  26. 


250  NATURE   AND   NECESSITY   OF   GRACE 

because,  instead  of  asking  for  it,  he  practi- 
cally tells  God  that  he  does  not  need   His 

i  ihelp.  "  God  resisteth  the  proud  and  giveth 
His  grace  to  the  humble,"  the  Holy  Scrip- 
ture tells  us.  The  more  a  man  acknowl- 
edges his  misery,  the .  more  ready  God  is  to 
help  him.  Let  us,  therefore,  always  be  hum- 
ble, and  show  that  humility  by  holding  fast 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church  on 

^  grace.  Let  us  hold  fast  to  the  doctrine  that 
we  are  always  in  need  of  the  help  of  God, 
that  without  His  grace  we  can  do  nothing  to 
merit  heaven,  that  without  His  help  we  can- 
not begin,  continue,  or  complete  successfully 
any  good  work  for  our  salvation,  but  that 
it  is  God  who  worketh  in  us  the  willing 
and  the  doing. 


X 

DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE 

Grace  is  so  necessary  that  without  it  we 
can  do  nothing  for  salvation.  Without  the 
help  of  divine  grace  we  cannot  begin,  con- 
tinue, or  complete  any  salutary  work.  God 
works  in  us  to  will  and  to  accomplish  the 
good  work.  Our  salvation  is  through  Him. 
Of  ourselves  we  can  fall  and  sin,  but  of  our- 
selves  we  cannot  rise  and  repent.  We  must, 
therefore,  look  upon  Jesus  as  the  author 
and  finisher  of  our  faith.  ^  This  is  what  the 
Catholic  Church  teaches  us  concerning  the 
necessity  of  grace.  Our  first  parents  were 
created  in  sanctifying  grace  and  placed  in 
paradise.  They  did  not  persevere  in  the 
state  of  grace,  but  fell  into  sin.  Of  them- 
selves they  were  unable  to  do  anything  to 
*  Heb.  12.  2. 


252  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

ffree  themselves  from  sin;  had  it  not  been 

f  that   God   took   pity   on  them,  they  would 

{have  been  lost  forever.     God  saved  them  by 

sending  His  only  Son  to  redeem  them.    The 

same  sad  fate  would  have  been  ours,  for  we 

inherited  that  sin  from  our  first  parents.    We, 

too,  were  redeemed  by  Christ,  who  obtained 

grace  for  us.     The  grace  of  God  brings  the 

unbeliever  to  faith;  it  moves  the  sinner  to 

repentance.      This    thought    of    our    utter 

dependence    on    God    should    move    us   to 

humility    and    gratitude    toward    God.       It 

should   give   us   distrust   in   ourselves,   and 

confidence   in    God,  who   is   ever   ready  to 

help  us  in  our  weakness. 

/Tn^  It  might  seem  that  the  doctrine   of  the 

^^j^ecessity  of  grace  would  furnish  an  excuse 

for  leading  a  bad  life.    Some  one  might  say : 

f  Without  the  assistance  of  the  grace  of  God 

I  I   cannot    do    anything    for    my    salvation. 

■This   is  the  reason   I   do  not  overcome  my 

bad  habits;  this  is  the  reason  I  do  not  lead 

a  good,  virtuous  life;  I  have  not  the  grace 

of  God.     It  is  true,  without  the  grace  of  God 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE  253 

we  cannot  return  to  Him  and  do  penance ; 
but  it  is  not  true  that  we  have  insufficient 
grace  to  do  penance  and  obtain  salvation. 
Without  grace  we  cannot  be  saved,  but  as 
St.  Paul  teaches  us,  "  Our  Saviour  will  have 
all  men  to  be  saved  and  to  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truthr^  It  follows  from  this 
that  He  gives  sufficient  grace  to  all  men. 
God  gives  sufficient  grace  to  all ;  to  the  un- 
baptized  that  he  may  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth,  and  be  freed  from  original  sin 
by  Baptism.  He  gives  sufficient  grace  to 
the  sinner  who  has  lost  His  friendship,  that 
he  may  be  reinstated  in  his  position  as  a 
child  of  God.  Even  when  it  is  for  some 
reason  or  other  impossible  to  receive  the 
sacrament  of  Baptism  or  Penance,  God  still 
by  His  grace  makes  it  possible  for  man  to 
save  his  soul.  The  just  man,  too,  continually 
receives  grace  to  do  good,  to  overcome  his 
evil  inclinations,  to  persevere  in  virtue,  and 
so  avoid  sin  and  merit  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.     Man,  by  reason  of  original  sin,  is 

1 1  Tim.  2.  4. 


254  DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE 

more  inclined  to  evil  than  to  good,  but 
the  evil  inclinations  are  never  so  strong 
that  they  cannot  be  overcome.  God  gives 
man  as  much  grace  as  he  needs  to  conquer 
the  temptations  to  sin.  Thus  St.  Paul  in- 
M  structs  the  Corinthians :  "  God  is  faithful, 
who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above 
that  which  you  are  able ;  but  will  make  also 
with  temptation  issue,  that  you  may  be  able 
to  bear  it."^  We  can  do  good  and  avoid 
evil,  with  the  help  of  God's  grace,  which 
He  refuses  to  no  one.  He  Himself  has 
told  us,  "  My  yoke  is  sweet,  and  My  burden 
is  light."  ^  We  shall  be  able  to  carry  the 
burden  of  His  commandments  and  bear  the 
yoke  of  His  law,  since  He  is  always  ready 
to  help  us  carry  it.  God  asks  nothing  im- 
possible of  us,  and  therefore  we  know  where 
we  are  to  seek  help  in  all  things  that  seem 
difficult,  or  even  impossible  to  us. 
f  That  God  gives  to  every  one  the  grace  that 
is  necessary  to  do  good  and  avoid  sin,  is 
especially  true  of  those  that  are  baptized^ 
V  1 1  Cor.  10.  13.  2  Matt.  II.  30. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE  255 

and  so  have  been  made  members  of  God's 
holy  Church.  This  the  Church  declared 
when  it  condemned  the  error  of  Janse- 
nius/  who  had  taught  in  his  book,  Augus- 
tinus,  that  there  are  some  commandments, 
which  the  just  could  not  keep,  despite  the 
best  of  will,  because  they  had  not  always 
sufficient  grace  to  do  so.  The  justified  have 
not  only  at  all  times  sufficient,  but  they  have 
superabundant  grace  to  avoid  sin  and  merit 
heaven.  They  have  in  their  souls  a  mark 
impressed  by  Baptism,  which  shows  that 
they  belong  to  Christ,  and  are  united  with 
Him  who  is  the  source  of  all  grace.  As 
Christians  they  have  prayer  and  the  sacra- 
ments, which  are  the  great  channels  through 
which  grace  comes  to  men.  They  have  the 
word  of  God  and  divine  service  where  one 
encourages  and  prays  for  the  other.  They 
are  above  all  in  the  communion  of  saints, 
and  so  are  united  spiritually  with  Christ  and 
all  the  saints,  and  partake  of  their  merits. 
By  reason  of  the  communion  of  saints,  all 

^  I  Prop,  damnata. 


2s6  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

share  in  each  other's  prayers  and  good 
works;  the  treasures  of  the  Church  are  the 
common  property  of  all.  The  Christian,  far 
from  not  having  sufficient  grace,  lives,  so  to 
say,  in  the  full  noonday  sun  of  God's  grace. 
No  Christian,  and  especially  no  Catholic,  can 
say  that  he  has  not  sufficient  grace  to  avoid 
sin  and  lead  a  good  and  holy  life.  He  has 
not  only  sufficient,  but  more  than  sufficient, 
grace.  If  he  has  fallen  into  sin,  God  by  a 
multiplicity  of  ways  seeks  him  and  urges 
him  to  return  to  Him.     God  wishes  to  save 

j^/^him.  "As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I 
desire  not  the  death  of  the  wicked,  but  that 
the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and  live."^ 
Our  Lord  Himself  tells  us  that  He  came  for 
this  purpose,  namely  to  save  sinners.    "  The 

'  ASon  of  man  is  come  to  save  that  which  was 
lost."^  He  tells  us  of  the  solicitude  with 
which  He  goes  after  the  sinner  to  bring  him 
back.  He  compares  Himself  to  the  good 
shepherd  who  goes  after  the  lost  sheep  until 
he  finds  it,  and  having  found  it  lays  it  upon 
1  Ezech.  33.  II.  2  Matt.  18. 11. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE  257 

his  shoulder,  and  brings  it  back  to  the  fold. 
It  is  His  greatest  pleasure  to  go  after 
the  sinner,  and  move  him  to  repentance. 
He  tells  us  that  there  is  more  joy  in  heaven 
over  one  sinner  that  does  penance  than  over 
ninety-nine  just  who  do  not  need  it.^  Just 
as  the  woman  in  the  gospel  lighted  a  lamp 
to  find  one  of  the  ten  groats  which  she  had 
lost,  so  also  our  mother,  the  Church,  uses  all 
kinds  of  means,  such  as  missions,  retreats, 
jubilees,  indulgences,  to  find  her  lost  chil- 
dren and  bring  them  back  to  the  way  of 
salvation.  Mary,  too,  our  Mother,  is  anxious 
about  her  children  that  have  strayed  from 
her,  and  never  ceases  to  pray  for  them  to 
save  them  from  eternal  perdition.  She,  the 
refuge  of  sinners,  the  Mother  of  divine  grace, 
is  continually  obtaining  from  her  Son  the 
grace  of  conversion  for  sinners.  Can  we 
then  say  that  we  have  not  sufficient  grace  ? 
"  Despisest  thou  the  riches  of  His  goodness 
and  patience,  and  long-suffering?  Knovvest 
thou  not  that  the  benignity  of  God  leadeth 
thee  to  penance  ?  "  ^ 

1  Luke  15.  7.  "  Rom.  2.  4. 


2s8  DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE 

Not  only  to  those  that  belong  to  His 
Church,  but  to  all  men,  to  heathens,  Jews, 
heretics,  God  gives  sufficient  grace  to  know 
the  truth,  and  to  lead  them  to  eternal  salva- 
tion, God  is  the  father  of  all  men,  and  loves 
all  His  children.  He  does  not  will  "that 
any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  return 
to  penance."  ^  Christ  died  for  all  men,  and 
wishes  all  men  to  be  saved ;  and  hence,  since 
grace  is  necessary  for  salvation.  He  must 
give  to  all  the  grace  necessary  for  salvation. 
He  has  redeemed  all  men,  and  calls  all  to 
ju  salvation.  "  God  our  Saviour  will  have  all  men 
to  be  saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth."  ^  There  is  no  doubt  but  that 
God  gives  sufficient  grace  to  all.  Indeed,  we 
see  how  He  does  this,  for  He  commanded  His 
apostles  to  go  forth  into  the  whole  world  and 
preach  His  gospel  to  every  creature.^  By  the 
preaching  of  His  gospel.  He  offers  to  all 
people  the  grace  of  Christianity.  Certainly 
the  Jews  cannot  complain  that  they  did  not 
have   sufficient   grace ;   for  Christ,  the  way, 

^  2  Peter  3.  9.  ^  \  Tim.  2.  4.  «  Mark  16.  15. 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE  259 

the  truth,  and  the  life,  Himself,  preached  the 
gospel  to  them.  After  Him  the  apostles 
preached  the  gospel  to  the  Jews  before  they 
preached  it  to  the  Gentiles.  The  heathens, 
too,  were  offered  this  grace  through  the 
preaching  of  the  apostles.  "  Their  sound  .^^ 
hath  gone  forth  into  all  the  earth,  and  their 
words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world."  ^  Since 
the  days  of  the  apostles  the  grace  of  the 
gospel  has  been  offered  to  the  world  without 
interruption  by  the  successors  of  the  apostles, 
the  bishops  and  priests  of  the  Catholic 
Church.      The   Catholic   missionaries    have 

KS- 

travelled  into  every  country  to  bring  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  to  the  pagans.  Jesus 
wishes  to  give  sufficient  grace  to  every  man ; 
for  this  reason  He  has  established  His 
Church  as  a  Catholic  Church,  that  is,  a 
Church  to  which  all  men  are  called,  so  that 
there  be  but  one  fold  and  one  shepherd.  St. 
Paul  tells  us  the  same  when  he  writes,  "  To^ 
the  Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians,  to  the  wise 
and  the  unwise,  I  am  a  debtor."  ^     All  have 

1  Psalm  18.  5.  2  Rom.  1. 14. 


26o  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

a  right  to  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them 
by  me,  as  the  messenger  of  God,  and  I  have 
in  consequence  an  obHgation  to  preach  it  to 
them.  St.  Paul  was  the  Apostle  of  the  na- 
tions, chosen  by  God  that  he  might  offer  to 
all  the  grace  of  knowing  the  truth,  and  of 
embracing^  the  life  of  grace  in  Christianity. 
Does  God  also  give  sufficient  grace  to 
those  to  whom  the  gospel  has  not  yet  been 
preached?  We  believe  that  God  also  gives 
them  sufficient  grace,  because  He  who  has 
made  the  human  heart,  and  has  given  it  a 
strong  desire  for  happiness,  has  innumerable 
ways  in  which  He  can  act  upon  the  hearts 
of  men  and  draw  them  to  Himself.  He  is 
the  divine  wisdom  that  "  reacheth  from  end  to 
end  mightily  and  ordereth  all  things  sweetly."^ 
He  has  given  man  a  natural  love  for  the 
truth,  and,  if  man  follows  this  impulse  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  he  will  be  given  the  means 
of  showing  his  fidelity  to  the  voice  of  God 
speaking  through  his  conscience,  and  so  find 
eternal  life.  This  inclination,  implanted  in 
iWisd.8. 1. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE  261 

the  human  heart,  may  be  regarded  as  a 
grace  which  God  gives  to  man  to  draw  him 
to  Himself.  In  this  way,  even  the  pagan, 
who  has  never  heard  of  Christ,  may  be  saved. 
This  grace  is  for  him  sufficient  for  salvation 
because  God  will  certainly  not  allow  any  one 
to  perish  who  is  sincere  and  willing  to  do 
His  will  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge.  God 
asks  nothmg  impossible,  and  He  will,  with- 
out doubt,  accept  the  good  will  for  the  deed 
in  those  who  are  so  disposed  that  they  would 
willingly  accept  His  truth  if  it  were  made 
known  to  them.  If  they  comply  with  this 
first  call  of  grace,  they  will  receive  more 
grace,  and  will  finally  be  led  to  justification, 
and  so  be  put  in  the  way  of  salvation.  God 
gives  His  peace  and  friendship  to  all  men 
of  good  will.  This  good  will  comes  from 
God,  and  is  a  grace,  and  no  doubt  many 
heathens  obtain  through  it  their  eternal 
salvation.  "  And  I  say  to  you  that  manyM 
shall  come  from  the  east  and  the  west,  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac 
and    Jacob    in    the    kingdom    of    heaven; 


262  DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE 

but  the  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
cast  out  into  exterior  darkness:  there  shall 
be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  ^  In 
this  way  God  may  lead  to  Himself  those 
that  have  not  had  the  gospel  preached  to 
them. 

Besides  this  inner  desire  for  truth,  God 
may  also  use  visible  nat^ire  to  give  men 
grace.  "  The  heavens  show  forth  the  glory 
of    God,  and    the  firmament   declareth   the 

S^ork  of  His  hands."  ^  The  contemplation 
of  the  wonders  of  nature,  the  stars  of  the 
heavens,  the  beauties  of  the  trees  and 
flowers,  the  majesty  of  the  mountains,  the 
expanse  of  the  sea,  the  wonderful  adaptation 
of  all  things  to  their  purpose,  in  fine,  the 
consideration  of  the  universe  in  its  entirety 
and  in  its  parts,  the  wonderfully  great  and 
the  wonderfully  small,  these  things  have 
always  awakened  in  the  minds  of  men  the 
thought  of  an  infinitely  powerful,  wise,  good, 
and  loving  God.  These  things  have  always 
moved   men  and  aroused   in  their  souls   a 

^      1  Matt.  8.  II,  12.  «  Psalm  i8.  i. 


DISTRIBUTION  OF   GRACE  263 

desire  to  know,  love,  and  serve  this  God,  to 
come  to  Him,  and  be  happy  with  Him. 
This  knowledge  and  desire  of  God  is  a 
grace,  as  we   learn   from    the  words  of  St. 

*aul,  "  God  hath  manifested  it  unto  them,  ioif 
[the  invisible  thinsfs  of  Him,  from  the  crea- 

Lon  of  the  world,  are    clearly   seen,  being  j 
JLinderstood  by   the   things   that  are    made ;  ' 

[is  eternal  power  also  and  divinity:  so  that_ 
ihey  are  inexcusable,  because  that  when  they: 

:new  God,  they  have  not  glorified  Him  as'; 

rod  or  given  thanks."  ^  From  these  words  . 
St.  Paul  we  see  clearly  that  the  heathens 
receive  sufficient  grace  to  know  God,  and 
so  be  led  to  serve  Him,  and  thus  obtain 
their  eternal  salvation.  He  says  that  they 
are  inexcusable  if  they  do  not  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  God,  and  thus  be  brought  to 
serve  Him  and  give  Him  thanks.  If  they 
had  not  received  sufficient  grace,  they  would 
certainly  be  excusable.  God  manifests  Him- 
self through  nature,  and  thus  calls  men  to  His 
service.     This  is  the  call  of  grace  for  them. 

^  Rom.  I.  19-21. 


264  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

They  that  follow  this  call  and  seek  to  honor 
God  to  the  best  of  their  knowledge  and 
ability  will  receive  more  grace,  and  so  will 
be  led  on  to  justification  and  salvation. 
•J?'''  The  voice  of  conscience  is  another  means 
wmcriGoduses  to  call  the  heathens  to 
Himself.  It  is  the  voice  of  God  that  tells 
them  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong,  what 
they  must  do  and  what  they  may  not  do. 
It  is  for  the  heathens,  what  the  law  of  God 
.was  for  the  Jews.  "  For  when  the  Gentiles 
who  have  not  the  law  do  by  nature  those 

es  that  are  of  the  law,  these  having  not 
Lw,  are  a  law  to  themselves ;  who  show 
the  works  of  the  law  written  in  their  hearts, 
their  conscience  bearing  witness  to  them, 
and  their  thoughts  within  themselves  ac- 
cusing, or  also  defending  them."  ^  Man, 
as  a  rational  creature,  has  within  himself  the 
power  of  judging  what  is  right  and  what  is  , 
wrong,  and  if  he  have  the  good  will,  he  may 
thus  serve  God  and  be  happy  forever.  It 
is  true  that  this  natural  judgment  of  right 

1  Rom.  2.  14. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE  265 

and  wrong  may  be  obscured  by  passion  and 
the  prejudices  in  which  one  has  been  brought 
up,  so  that  he  may  deviate  from  the  path  of 
truth ;  but  it  can  never  be  entirely  obHt- 
erated.  A  general  understanding  of  right 
and  wrong  always  remains.  We  learn  from 
history  that  many  pagans,  who  were  sincere 
in  their  search  for  the  truth,  came  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  one  true  God.  Such  a  one 
was  Socrates,  who  was  condemned  to  death 
by  his  fellow-citizens  because  he  rejected  the 
worship  of  the  false  gods.  Like  Socrates, 
so  also  many  other  pagan  philosophers 
recognize  the  existence  of  one  God  who 
had  made  the  world,  and  saw  the  falseness 
of  the  worship  of  idols. 
«>y^ There  remain  also  among  all  peoples 
'portions  of  the  original  revelation  which 
God  made  to  man  in  paradise.  When 
men  multiplied  upon  the  earth  and  were 
scattered  over  various  countries  they  re- 
tained something  of  the  knowledge  that 
God  made  known  of  Himself  to  Adam  and 
Eve   in  paradise.     Thus  all  people   had  a 


M, 


266  DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE 

notion  of  their  own  misery  and  sinfulness, 
and  of  the  need  of  a  Redeemer.  All  retained 
an  idea  of  a  Saviour  to  come,  although  this 
was  often  wrapped  up  in  many  errors  and 
false  conceptions.  Now  those  pagans  who 
expected  a  Saviour,  and  were  so  minded  as 
to  accept  Him  when  He  should  come,  and 
were  willing  to  fulfil  the  conditions  of  salva- 
tion, and  in  the  meantime  followed  the  dic- 
tates of  their  consciences,  to  the  best  of  their 
powers,  could  certainly  be  saved,  just  as  the 
Jews  reached  heaven  through  the  belief 
and  hope  in  a  Redeemer  to  come. 

Finally,  God  often  brought  men  to  salva- 
tion through  a  direct  interposition  by  mira- 


cles.  An  example  of  this  we  find  narrated 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  concerning  Cor- 
nelius and  his  family.^  We  read  there  how 
an  angel  of  God  appeared  to  him,  and  told 
him  to  send  to  Joppe  for  a  man  named  Peter, 
who  would  tell  him  what  he  must  do,  and  at 
the  same  time  Peter  also  had  a  vision,  which 
instructed  him  that  he  must  not  refuse  to 
^  Acts  10. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE  267 

receive  into  the  Church  those  who  were 
converted  from  paganism ;  that  nothing  that 
the  Lord  had  cleansed  was  unclean.  Up  to 
this  time  the  Jews  had  looked  upon  the  Gen- 
tiles as  unclean  and  would  have  nothing  to 
do  with  them ;  but  now  God,  through  a  series 
of  miracles,  called  the  Gentiles  to  the 
Church,  and  brought  Cornelius  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth.  Similar  miracles  of  God 
are  often  related  by  our  missionaries  in  coun- 
tries that  are  just  being  converted  to  the 
faith  of  Christ.  But  even  if  God  does  not 
call  men  in  a  miraculous  way  to  the  faith, 
He  always  gives  them  sufficient  grace  to 
know  God,  and  work  out  their  eternal  sal- 
vation. In  His  infinite  wisdom  He  has  in- 
numerable ways  of  drawing  them  to  Him- 
self. For  this  reason  St.  Augustine  says : 
"Who  can  enumerate  the  many  gifts  the 
godless  receive  from  Him  whom  they, 
reject  ?  One  among  many  are  the  examples 
of  misery  which  He  as  a  good  physician, 
mixes  up  with  the  pleasures  of  the  world, 
that  they  might,  if  they  will  not  hear  other- 


268  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

wise,  be  thus  reminded  of  the  wrath  to  come, 
and  so  be  brought  into  harmony  with  the 
word  of  God  whilst  they  are  still  wanderers 
here  upon  earth."  ^  What  more  could  God 
do  for  them  when  even  the  misery  of  the 
world  is  a  blessing  to  man.  We  do  not 
know  the  ways  of  God,  and  the  various 
means  He  uses  to  give  to  each  one  the 
grace  he  needs  to  be  saved;  but  no  one  shall 
be  lost  without  his  own  fault.  At  the  last 
judgment  we  shall  know  the  good  and 
the  evil  every  one  has  done ;  we  shall  also 
know  the  graces  each  has  received  and  what 
use  he  has  made  of  them.  Then  we  shall 
recognize  the  mercy,  goodness,  and  wisdom  of 
^God,  and  shall  exclaim :  "  O  the  depth  of  the 
riches  of  the  wisdom  and  of  the  knowledge 
of  God !  How  incomprehensible  are  His 
judgments,  and  how  unsearchable  His  ways! 
For  who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ? 
Or  who  hath  been  His  counsellor.?"^  If 
any  one  leads  a  good  life,  and  follows  the 
light  that  God  gives  him,  he  shall  undoubt- 

1  Epist.  210,  n.  I.  2  Rom.  ii.  33,  34. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE  269 

edly  be  led  to  justification  and  salvation.  No 
one  that  is  lost  will  be  able  to  say  that  it  was 
not  through  his  own  fault ;  that  he  had  not 
received  the  necessary  grace  from  God. 
God  wishes  all  men  to  be  saved  and  come 
to  the  knowledge  of  His  truth,^  and  for  this 
reason  He  gives  sufficient  grace  to  all. 

MEASURE  OF  GRACE 

Although  all  men  receive  sufficient  grace, 
not  all  receive  the  same  amount  of  grace ; 
that  is,  some  receive  more  grace  than  others. 
Grace  is  a  free  gift  of  God,  and  hence  He 
can,  without  injustice  to  any  one,  bestow  it 
according  to  His  good  pleasure.  Faith,  how- 
ever, teaches  us  that  He  gives  to  every  man 
sufficient  grace  to  reach  heaven  and  be 
saved.  In  this  unequal  distribution  of  grace 
God  has  His  own  purpose.  The  end  of  all 
His  works  is  His  glory  ;  and  to  obtain  that 
qnd  it  is  often  necessary  to  give  man  differ- 
ent measures  of  grace.  Without  doubt, 
Abraham,  the  father  of  the  chosen  people, 

1 1  Tim.  2.  4. 


270  DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE 

had  more  grace  than  most  of  his  descend- 
ants. He  required  more  grace  in  order  to 
make  himself  worthy  of  his  calling.  With- 
out special  grace  he  would  never  have 
obeyed  God  to  the  extent  of  being  willing  to 
sacrifice  his  only  son,  Isaac,  at  the  command 
of  God.  Without  an  especially  great  meas- 
ure of  grace  he  would  never  have  been 
able  to  believe  that  he,  a  poor  wandering 
shepherd,  was  to  become  the  father  of  a 
great  race.  Likewise,  Moses  must  have 
received  a  very  great  share  of  grace  to  per- 
form the  work  that  God  gave  him,  —  that  of 
freeing  God's  people  from  bondage  in  Egypt. 
The  same  we  believe  of  the  Judges,  Proph- 
ets, Kings,  and  especially  of  the  pious 
king,  David.  Likewise,  the  Maccabees  and 
the  pious  mother  of  the  Maccabean  brothers 
must  have  received  extraordinary  grace  to 
fulfil  the  commandments  of  God,  and  bear 
the  sufferings  they  underwent  for  the  sake  of 
His  law.  But  the  greatest  measure  of  grace 
was  received,  no  doubt,  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  since  she  was    called   to  the 


« 


DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE  271 

greatest  dignity  of  which  any  creature  was 
capable,  namely  to  become  the  Mother  of 
God.  Hence  the  angel  saluted  her,  Hail, 
full  of  grace.  After  her,  the  precursor  of  Our 
Lord,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  received  grace 
that  raised  him  above  all  other  men ;  for  he 
was  cleansed  even  before  his  birth,  and  the 
grace  which  he  received  made  him  the  great- 
est of  prophets,  of  whom  Jesus  testifies  that 
there  is  no  one  born  of  woman  greater  than 
John  the  Baptist.  And  what  shall  we  say  of 
St.  Joseph,  to  whose  guardianship  was  com- 
mitted the  Son  of  God  ?  What  great  graces 
were  necessary  to  fit  him  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  his  office  properly,  to  protect  the 
Word  made  flesh  and  His  holy  Mother  ?  To 
him  must  have  been  given  great  graces  to 
make  him  worthy  of  holding  in  his  arms  the 
King  of  kings,  whom  many  great  ones  of 
the  world  had  desired  to  see,  and  saw  Him 
not.  What  great  measure  of  grace  was  given 
to  the  apostles  to  permit  them  to  be  con- 
tinually in  the  society  of  Jesus,  to  hear  Him 
speak,  to  be  His  intimate  friends !     And  of 


272  DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE 

the  apostles,  St.  John  was  permitted  to  rest 
upon  His  bosom,  and  stand  under  the  cross, 
and  receive  the  commission  to  protect  the 
Mother  of  Jesus.  If  we  look  over  the  his- 
tory of  the  kingdom  of  God  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  present  time,  we  see  that  God 
has  chosen  different  men  to  perform  differ- 
ent works  of  importance.  Now  when  God 
chooses  any  one  for  a  particular  work.  He 
also  gives  him  sufficient  help  to  perform 
this  work  for  which  He  has  chosen  him. 
Hence  men  received  different  measures  of 
grace,  according  to  the  object  God  had  in 
view  for  them.  They  that  have  nothing  but 
their  own  salvation  to  look  after  may  receive 
only  the  ordinary  measure  of  grace  which 
is  sufficient  to  work  out  their  salvation. 

The  measure  of  grace  also  depends  upon 
the  ^ime,  i)lace,  and  circumstances.  Thus 
the  Jews  who  were  the  chosen  people  of 
God,  among  whom  God  dwelt  in  a  cloud, 
no  doubt  received  more  grace  than  the 
pagans.  Among  the  Jews  they  that  lived  at 
the  time  of  Christ,  and  who  heard  His  own 


DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE  273 

words,  received  greater  graces  than  the 
others.  On  account  of  the  greater  meas- 
ure of  grace  that  the  Jews  received,  the 
sin  of  their  rejecting  Christ  was  also  greater, 
hence  Our  Lord  says,  "  The  queen  of  the 
south  shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this  gen-  "'* 
eration  and  shall  condemn  it,  because  she 
came  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  hear  the 
wisdom  of  Solomon,  and,  behold,  a  greater 
than  Solomon  here."^  Again,  Christians 
receive  more  grace  than  Jews.  We  live 
in  the  kingdom  of  grace  which  Christ 
founded  with  His  precious  blood.  "He 
that  spared  not  even  His  own  Son,  but 
delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how  hath  He 
not  also  with  Him  given  us  all  things.?"^ 
He  has  not  hesitated  to  sacrifice  His  own 
Son;  then  certainly  He  will  not  be  miserly 
with  grace  which  is  so  necessary  for  our 
salvation.  Hence  the  Apostle  exclaims, 
"  I  give  thanks  to  my  God  always  for  youy^ 
for  the  grace  of  God  that  is  given  you  in 
Christ  Jesus;    that   in   all   things   you    are 

1  Matt.  12.  42.  2  Rom.  8.  32. 

T 


274  DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE 

made  rich  in  Him  in  all  utterance,  and  in  all 
knowledge  ...  so  that  nothing  is  wanting 
to  you  in  any  grace."  ^  Again,  "  Blessed  be 
the  God  and  Father  of  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  every  spirit- 
ual blessing  in  heavenly  places,  in  Christ  .  .  . 
in  whom  we  have  Redemption  through  His 
blood,  the  remission  of  sins  according  to  the 
riches  of  His  grace,  which  hath  supera- 
bounded  in  us  in  all  wisdom  and  prudence."  '^ 
What  inexhaustible  treasures  have  we  not  in 
the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  ?  In  our 
churches  Jesus  dwells  bodily ;  in  our  taber- 
nacles He  is  present  under  the  appearances 
of  bread,  ever  ready  to  hear  our  prayers  and 
to  shower  graces  upon  us.  In  the  holy  sac- 
raments He  pours  His  grace  upon  our 
souls  in  abundance.  The  sacramentals,  too, 
are  given  us  to  obtain  various  graces.  All 
Christians,  however,  do  not  receive  the 
same  measure  of  divine  grace.  "  To  every 
one  of  us  is  given  grace  according  to  the 
'measure  of  the   giving  of  Christ."^     "And 

1 1  Cor.  I.  4-7.  2  Eph.  I.  3-8.  3  iijid,  4.  7. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE  275 

He  gave  some  apostles,  and  some  prophets, 
and  other  some  evangelists,  and  other  some 
pastors  and  doctors."^  These  each  receive 
more  grace  than  the  ordinary  faithful,  ac- 
cording to  their  office.  But  even  the  graces 
that  the  rulers  of  the  flock  of  Christ  receive 
are  for  the  good  of  the  whole  body,  for  we 
are  all  members  of  one  body,  of  which 
Christ  is  the  head.  All  have  part  in  the 
graces  of  the  various  members  that  com- 
pose that  body. 

There  are  also  certain  times  in  which 
God  is  pleased  to  pour  out  a  greater  abun- 
dance of  grace.  Such  times  are  great  feast 
days  of  the  Church,  —  times  of  penance,  such 
as  Advent  and  Lent.  "  And  that  knowing  the^ 
season,  that  it  is  now  the  hour  for  us  to  rise 
from  sleep ;  for  now  our  salvation  is  nearer 
than  when  we  believed."'^  "For  He  saith: 
In  an  accepted  time  have  I  heard  thee,  and 
in  the  day  of  salvation  have  I  helped  thee. 
Behold,  now  is  the  acceptable  time ;  behold, 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  ^      Indeed,  he 

1  Eph.  4.  II.  2  Rom.  13.  II.  •  2  Cor.  6.  2. 


276  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

who  celebrates  the  feast  days  of  the  Church 
in  the  right  way,  will  not  be  left  without 
special  graces.  He  will  receive  the  Child, 
born  in  his  soul,  on  Christmas  day ;  he  will 
rise. with  Christ  to  a  new  life,  on  Easter;  he 
will  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  on  Pentecost. 

Our  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  attach  special 
graces  to  certain  places,  such  as  places  of 
pilgrimage,  where  the  events  of  His  Passion 
and  death  are  commemorated  in  an  especial 
manner,  or  where  His  Mother  is  especially 
honored,  or  where  the  body  of  one  of  His 
friends  is  kept  and  honored  for  His  sake. 
In  such  places  God  often  works  miracles, 
healing  bodily  infirmities  or  granting  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  consoling  the  afflicted 
and    helping    the    tempted.      All    Catholic 

churches  are   such  special  places    of   grace, 

*■••  ^         "■■'•  ,„-■■■.  ....... ^....^ 

and  this  is  especially  true  of  each  one's 
parish  church.  Here  Our  Lord  dwells  in  the 
tabernacle,  and  invites  us, "  Come  to  Me  all 
you  that  labor,  and  are  burdened,  and  I 
will  refresh   you."  ^      Many  undergo  great 

^Matt.  11.28. 


DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE  277 

dangers  and  make  great  journeys  in  order 
to  pray  in  places  where  Our  Lord  was  born, 
suffered,  and  died ;  but  we  need  not  go  so 
far,  for  a  few  steps  from  us  He  dwells  ever 
ready  to  receive  us.  There  in  our  own 
parish  church  we  can  speak  to  Him,  tell 
Him  of  our  needs,  and  receive  grace  in 
abundance.  If  we  go  to  Him  with  confi- 
dence, we  may  be  sure  that  He  will  not  let  us 
go  away  empty-handed.  The  parish  church 
is  for  every  one  the  best  place  of  pilgrimage ;  ''V 
for  this  is  the  intention  of  the  Church.  She 
directs  the  priest  to  recite  the  following 
prayer  on  the  day  of  the  dedication  of  the 
church,  "  O  God,  graciously  hear  the  prayers 
of  Thy  people  and  grant  that  all  who  enter 
this  temple  to  ask  good  things  of  Thee,  may 
rejoice  in  the  obtaining  of  all  their  petitions."  ^ 
"  Let  us  go,  therefore,  with  confidence  to  the  a\ 
throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy 
and  find  grace  in  seasonable  aid."^ 

Finally,  the  measure  of  grace   that  each 
receives   may  depend   on  peculiar  circum- 

1  Miss,  Rom.  Com.  Dedicate  Eccl.  ^  Heb.  4. 16. 


^278  DISTRIBUTION   OF  GRACE 

stances.  It  may  depend  on  the  power  of 
the  man  to  receive  the  grace  of  God. 
Thus  Our  Lord  tells  the  parable  of  the 
master  that  gave  to  his  servants  five,  two, 
or  one  talent,  according  to  each  one's 
powers.  Nature  goes  before  grace,  and 
grace  builds  on  nature.  Thus  we  might 
expect  that  a  diversity  of  grace  would  come 
from  a  difference  in  the  natural  disposi- 
tions and  powers  of  the  individuals  receiv- 
ing it.  Likewise,  he  who  recognizes  his  need 
best,  and  earnestly  asks  for  grace,  may  be 
expected  to  receive  a  greater  portion  than 
he  who  does  not.  The  Saviour  deferred  His 
coming  upon  earth,  until  the  time  when 
the  world  should  have  recognized  its  in- 
ability to  help  itself.  It  was  only  after 
many  centuries,  when  men  came  to  the 
understanding  that  no  one,  except  God 
Himself,  could  save  them  from  sin  and 
misery,  that  God  became  man.  He  came 
when  the  yearning  of  man  expressed  itself 
in  those  beautiful  words,  "  Drop  down  dew, 
ye  heavens,  from  above,  and  let  the  clouds 


DISTRIBUTION   OF   GRACE  279 

rain  the  just;  let  the  earth  be  opened  and 

bud    forth    a    Saviour."^      This    grace   for 

which   man   yearns   becomes   all   the   more 

abundant,  the  more  he  prepares  his   heart 

to  receive   it.     Often,  too,  a   man   receives 

grace  on  account  of   the  prayers  of  others. 

So,  St.    Paul    owed   his   conversion    to    the 

prayers   of   St.  Stephen;    St.  Augustine,  to 

^    ■        ■     . 
the  prayers  of   St.  Monica.     Others  receive 

grace  on  account  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
preacher  whose  sermons  they  hear;  thus  the 
first  sermon  of  St.  Peter  converted  three 
thousand  men.  Another  circumstance  may 
be  some  special  work  that  God  wishes  to 
accomplish  at  that  time ;  thus  when  He  was 
founding  His  Church  He  poured  out  the 
Holy  Spirit  more  abundantly,  as  St.  Paul 
says.^  This  extraordinary  abundance  of 
grace  did  much  to  spread  the  faith  in 
Christ  rapidly.  The  same  thing  happens 
to-day  when  there  is  question  of  convert- 
ing a  new  people  to  the  faith.  There  is 
often  then  an  abundance  of  miracles,  or,  at 
1  Is.  45.  8.  2  Titus  3.  6, 


28o  DISTRIBUTION  OF  GRACE 

least,  a  great  movement  toward  the  truth 
that  facilitates  the  conversion  of  a  great 
multitude.  This  has  been  observed,  too,  in 
Christian  countries  at  the  time  of  a  mis- 
sion or  a  jubilee,  or  at  the  beginning  of  a 
new  place  of  pilgrimage. 

God  gives  to  every  man  sufficient  grace 
to  obtain  salvation.  There  are,  however, 
special  times  and  places  of  grace,  as  there 
may  be  special  occasions  and  circumstances 
for  God  to  give  an  extraordinary  measure 
of  grace.  "Grace,"  says  St.  John  Chrysos- 
tom,^  "  is  poured  out  over  all.  It  does  not  flee 
the  Jew  nor  the  Gentile,  the  Greek  nor  the 
Barbarian,  nor  the  Scythe,  not  the  freeman 
nor  slave,  not  man  nor  woman,  not  the  aged 
nor  the  young."  St.  Denis  the  Martyr  says, 
"The  immense  and  infinite  sea  of  divine 
light  is  free  to  all.  All  can  participate  in 
it."  ^  No  one  is  without  the  grace  sufficient 
to  save  him.  Just  as  the  sun  gives  his 
light  to  all,  so  also  God  gives  His  grace  to 
every  one,  that  all  may  come  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  and  possess  eternal  life. 

1  Horn.  7,  in  Joan,  ^  Hier.  c.  9. 


XI 

COOPERATION    WITH    GRACE 

Can  we  resist  the  grace  of  God? 
We  can  and  unfortunately  often  do  resist  the  grace  of 
God. 

Grace  is  absolutely  necessary  to  man  that 
he  may  obtain  his  supernatural  end  and  be 
forever  happy  in  heaven.  Without  grace 
no  one  can  believe,  no  one  rise  from  sin  and 
do  penance,  no  one  can  begin,  continue,  or 
complete  any  work  worthy  of  eternal  re- 
ward. God  gives  sufficient  grace  to  all 
because  He  wishes  all  men  to  be  saved.  No 
one  is  lost  except  through  his  own  fault. 
God  gives  His  grace  to  men,  and  if  they  are 
not  saved,  the  fault  is  theirs.  Man  is  a  free 
agent ;  God  will  not  save  any  one  against  his 
will.  "  And  we  helping  do  exhort  you  that 
you  receive  not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain."^ 

1 2  Cor.  6.  I. 

281 


282  COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE 

When  we  consider  the  necessity  of  grace  for 
salvation  and  the  goodness  of  God  in  dis- 
tributing it  so  abundantly,  we  should  imagine 
that  men  would  be  anxious  to  receive  it,  and 
cooperate  with  it,  that  they  would  pray  for 
it  continually  and  accept  it  with  joy  and  grati- 
tude. How  can  any  one  reject  the  grace  of 
God  and  refuse  to  work  with  it?  Yet  our 
catechism  tells  us  that  this  is  possible  and 
unfortunately  happens  only  too  often. 

When  do  we  resist  grace  ?  Let  us  suppose 
that  some  one  is  in  mortal  sin,  out  of  a 
false  shame  has  neglected  to  confess  his  sin, 
and  now  he  is  going  to  go  to  confession.  A 
voice  within  him  seems  to  say  to  him :  Now  is 
the  time  to  confess  this  sin  and  free  your  soul 
from  this  burden ;  it  will  never  become  more 
easy  by  letting  it  go,  on  the  contrary  the 
longer  you  let  it  go  the  worse  it  will  be,  and 
the  more  diificult  will  the  confession  become ; 
you  must  tell  it  some  time  or  other;  do 
it  right  now.  When  he  comes  to  go  to  con- 
fession the  false  shame  overcomes  him,  and 
he   again   conceals   that   sin,  he   commits  a 


COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE  283 

double  sacrilege,  making  a  bad  confession 
and  receiving  Holy  Communion  unworthily. 
Grace  called  him ;  God  enlightened  him 
regarding  what  he  was  to  do ;  He  also  offered 
him  motives  to  do  what  was  right ;  He  was 
ready  to  assist  him  to  make  a  good  confes- 
sion ;  but  the  unfortunate  man  did  not  listen 
ito.-- ■■■■•■  ■.■■*■■•-.'■, 
to  the  inspirations  of  grace  and   withstood 

the  help  God  was  offering  him.  He  resisted 
grace.  Had  he  followed  the  invitation  of 
God's  mercy,  all  would  have  been  right ;  he 
would  again  have  been  a  child  of  God.  So 
it  often  happens  that  men  are  called  by 
God's  grace  to  return  to  Him,  but  they  re- 
ject the  call  and  remain  in  their  sins.  All 
sinners  are  called  to  repentance  in  hundreds 
of  ways,  but  they  close  their  hearts  to  the 
call ;  when  they  hear  the  voice  of  God,  they 
harden  their  hearts. 

Why  does  God  permit  men  to  resist  Him  ? 
Could  He  not  make  them  obey  Him  ?  God 
is  omnipotent;  He  can  do  all  things;  He 
can  also  make  men  accept  His  grace,  and  do 
His   will;  but    He   does  not  wish  to  force 


284  COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE 

them.  Why  is  this?  God  created  man 
to  His  own  image  and  Hkeness;  He  gave 
him  understanding  and  free  will.  God 
wanted  to  create  a  being  that  would  serve 
Him  of  its  own  free  will ;  all  creatures  serve 
Him,  but  they  cannot  give  God  the  glory 
that  man  can  give  Him  because  their  ser- 
vice is  a  compulsory  one.  Free  will  belongs 
to  the  nature  of  man.  Although  our  will 
was  weakened  by  the  sin  of  our  first  parents, 
it  was  not  destroyed.  By  grace  it  is  again 
strengthened  to  do  good,  but  its  freedom  is 
not  taken  away.  By  grace  God  does  not 
destroy  His  own  work,  the  liberty  of  man ; 
but  He  perfects  it,  so  that  the  inclination  to 
evil  by  reason  of  original  sin  may  be  more 
easily  overcome.  Man  has  free  will ;  he  can 
accept  the  grace  which  God  offers  him,  or  he 
can  resist  it.  God  calls  man  by  grace ;  He 
warns  and  invites,  but  does  not  force  him  to 
. .  do  good  and  shun  evil.  "  Before  man  is  life 
and  death,  good  and  evil ;  that  which  he  shall 
choose  shall  be  given  him."  ^ 
1  Ecclus.  15. 18. 


COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE  285 

That  man  is  free  to  do  good  or  evil,  we  can 
see  from  numerous  examples  in  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, Thus  we  have  in  the  very  first  pages  of 
the  Holy  Scriptutes  the  story  of  Cain,  the  son 
of  Adam  and  Eve.  Cain  was  filled  with  envy 
and  hatred  against  his  brother,  Abel,  be- 
cause Abel  was  pious  and  good,  and  for  this 
reason  pleasing  to  God.  This  hatred  was 
very  sinful  in  Cain,  and  was  about  to  lead 
him  into  still  greater  sins.  Cain  began  to 
think  of  how  he  might  do  away  with  his 
brother.  God  wished  to  save  him  from  this 
great  crime,  and  for  this  reason  warned  him 
in  the  kindest  manner.  He  said  to  him, 
"  Why  art  thou  angry  t  and  why  is  thy  coun- 
tenance fallen  ?  If  thou  do  well,  shalt  thou 
not  receive  '^.  but  if  ill,  shall  not  sin  forthwith 
/be  present  at  the  door }  but  the  lust  thereof 
shall  be  under  thee,  and  thou  shalt  have 
dominion  over  it."  ^  Cain  paid  no  attention 
to  this  kind  warning  of  God,  and  became  the 
''piurderer  of  his  innocent  brother.  -^^4^^ 
even   after   the   crime  was  committed    God 

1  Gen.  4.  6,  7. 


286  COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE 

spoke  to  him  to  move  him  to  penance,  but 
Cain  would  not  confess  his  guilt,  and  re- 
mained stubborn.  He  resisted  the  grace  of 
God,  calling  him  to  do  penance,  and  that  of 
his  own  free  will,  despite  all  that  God  did 
to  bring  him  to  a  recognition  of  his  sin  and 
to  do  penance  for  it. 

From  this  example  we  see  that  God  offers 
His  grace  of  conversion  to  the  sinner,  that 
He  calls  him,  warns  him,  wishes  him  to 
return,  but  that  He  does  not  take  away  his 
free  will.  Just  as  Cain  was  free  to  listen  to 
the  warning  of  God,  or  to  close  his  ear  to  it, 
so  every  man  has  the  freedom  of  his  will 
and  can  do  good,  or  reject  the  grace  that 
God  offers  and  do  evil.  God  offers  His 
grace,  but  He  does  not  compel  any  one  to 
accept  it.  If  the  sinner  neglects  the  loving 
voice  of  God  and  persists  in  his  evil  ways, 
he  does  so,  not  because  God  does  not 
give  him  sufficient  grace  to  be  converted, 
but  because  of  his  own  free  will,  which 
God  will  not  take  away  from  him.  That 
man  is  free  to  follow  the  call  of  grace  or  to 


COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE  287 

resist  it,  is  either  implied  or  expressed  in  many 
other  passages  of  Holy  Scripture,  especially 
in  those  which  call  man  to  do  penance  for 
sin.  Thus  when  the  prophet  admonishes 
us,  "  To-day  if  you  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
God,  harden  not  your  hearts,"^  Le,  do  not^ 
listen  to  the  call  of  God  as  though  your 
hearts  were  of  wood  or  stone,  but  bring 
hearts  that  are  receptive,  on  which  the  grace 
of  God  can  make  an  impression.  When  the 
prophet  says  this,  he  evidently  implies  that  it 
rests  with  us  to  receive  the  grace  of  God  or 
to  reject  it;  that  we  can  allow  our  hearts 
to  be  moved  by  the  grace  of  God,  or  that  we 
can  harden  them,  so  that  grace  will  be  fruit- 
less; in  other  words,  that  we  have  free  will 
and  that  it  is  not  destroyed  by  grace.  In 
the  same  way  the  freedom  of  man's  will 
to  cooperate  with  or  to  resist  grace  is  implied 
in  all  the  exhortations  to  do  penance  which 
we  find  throughout  the  Holy  Scriptures.  No 
one  is  forced;  all  are  invited.  Our  Lord 
always   appealed   to    the   free   will   of    His 

1  Psalm  94.  8. 


288  COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE 

hearers  when  He  invited  them  to  follow 
Him.  "  If  any  on^  will  be  My  disciple,"  He 
says,  "let  him  take  up  his  cross  and  follow 
Me."  "If  ihon  wilt  be  perfect,"  He  says, 
"deny  thyself,  take  up  thy  cross  daily,  and 
follow  Me."  He  does  not  compel  us  to 
come  to  Him,  but  He  invites  us.  We  are 
free  to  accept  or  to  reject  the  invitation. 

//  has  been  this  way  from  the  beginning. 
The  apostles  preached  the  gospel  in  every 
country;  some  received  it  with  joy,  others 
rejected  it,  and  continued  in  false  wor- 
ship and  their  evil  ways.  All  used  their 
free  will  either  in  accepting  or  rejecting  the 
grace  offered  them.  So  St.  Peter  in  his 
first  sermon  on  Pentecost  said,  "  Do  pen- 
ance and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission 
of  your  sins ;  and  you  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  .  .  .  They  therefore  that 
received  his  word  were  baptized  and  there 
were  added  in  that  day  about  three  thou-^ 
sand   souls."  ^     No  doubt  there  were  many 

1  Acts  2.  38,  41. 


COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE  289 

more  that  heard  his  discourse  and  did  not 

receive    his  word.      Again   when   St.  Paul 

preached  in   the  Areopagus  at  Athens,  anci 

proclaimed  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection 

of  the  dead,  many  laughed  at  him ;   others, 

more  polite,  said,  "  We  will  hear  you  another 

time."     "  But  certain  men  adhering  to  him 

did  believe,  among  whom  was  also  Dionysius 

the   Areopagite,  and  a  woman  named  Da- 

maris,  and  others  with  them."^      So  it  has 

been  to  the  present  day.     Bishops  and  priests 

preach  the  word  of  God,  they  admonish  and 

warn,  they  endeavor  to  turn  men  away  from 

their  sins  and  lead  them  to  penance ;  many 

listen  and   turn  to   God,  are  heartily  sorry 

for  their  sins,  and  lead  better  lives;  many, 

too,  persist    in   their  errors  and  sins.     All 

are  free ;  the  grace  of  God  compels  none  so 

as  to  take  away  his  liberty  of  will.    God  gives 

His  grace,  but  He  wants  us  of  our  own  free 

will  to  cooperate  with  it.     The  same  is  true  of 

the  graces  He  gives  us  by  which  He  speaks, 

not  through  some  person,  but  directly  to  our 

1  Acts  17. 34. 
u 


290  COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE 

.^  heart.  "  Behold  I  stand  at  the  gate  and 
knock,  if  any  man  shall  hear  My  voice,  and 
open  to  Me  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him 
and  will  sup  with  him  and  he  with  Me."^ 
God  wishes  to  give  us  His  grace,  but  He 
will  not  force  Himself  upon  us ;  He  knocks 
at  the  door,  leaving  it  to  our  free  will 
whether  we  will  open  the  door  or  not. 

That  God  does  not  compel  miy  one  by  His 
grace  to  do  good  and  avoid  evil^  so  as  to  take 
away  his  liberty,  we  can  also  see  by  our 
natural  reason.  Through  compulsion  God 
would  destroy  our  free  will;  but  we  know 
that  we  cannot  do  anything  good  or  bad  if 
we  have  not  freedom  of  will.  We  are  not 
responsible  for  things  we  cannot  avoid.  If 
a  man  commits  murder,  he  is  punished ;  but 
if  it  can  be  proven  that  he  was  insane  and 
hence  did  not  know  what  he  was  doing, 
and  so  did  not  commit  the  deed  of  his  own 
free  will,  he  is  not  punished  for  it.  Like- 
wise, if  God  made  us  do  good  acts  by  com- 
pelling us,  so  as  to  take  away  our  freedom 

^  ApOC.  3.  20. 


COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE  291 

of  will,  we  would  not  deserve  any  reward 
for  such  acts.  To  commit  a  sin  we  must 
have  sufficient  knowledge  and  the  free  con- 
sent of  the  will.  For  a  good  act  that  de- 
serves reward,  the  same  is  necessary.  If  any 
one  is  forced  by  another  to  do  some  good 
or  bad  act,  he  does  not  deserve  any  reward 
or  punishment  for  it;  the  responsibility 
falls  on  him  that  forced  him  to  the  act. 

If  God  compelled  men  to  accept  His  grace 
and  so  do  good  and  avoid  evil,  these  good 
acts  would  not  be  good,  or  rather  they  would 
be  good,  but  they  would  not  be  our  good  acts, 
but  God's,  We  would  not  deserve  to  be  re- 
warded for  them,  and  thus  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  us  to  merit  heaven.  Without 
freedom  of  the  will  it  is  impossible  to  merit 
anything.  Without  freedom  of  the  will  we 
could  not  do  anything  evil;  we  could  not 
sin,  and  hence  we  could  not  be  punished 
for  it.  God  gives  us  grace  to  help  us  do 
good  and  shun  sin,  but  He  wants  us  to 
show  ourselves  faithful  to  Him,  and 
so,   through  the  help  of   His  grace,  merit 


292  COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE 

heaven  as  a  reward.  For  this  reason  He 
does  not  take  away  our  free  will.  This 
is  also  what  the  Church  teaches  us  in  the 
Council  of  Trent,\^'  If  any  one  say  that  the 
free  will  of  man  was  lost  or  was  destroyed 
by  the  sin  of  Adam,  or  that  it  is  a  thing  that 
exists  only  in  the  empty  name,  or  that  it  is 
an  empty  name  without  the  thing  signified, 
or  that  it  is  a  mere  fiction  introduced  into 
the  Church  by  the  devil,  let  him  be  anath- 
ema,"^ that  is,  such  a  one  is  excluded 
from  the  Church  as  a  heretic.  Again  the 
same  holy  Council  teaches,  "  If  anyone  say 
that  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  man  to  lead  a 
bad  life,  but  that  the  bad  as  well  as  the  good 
works  are  the  works  of  God,  and  that,  not 
only  by  permitting  them,  but  in  the  real 
sense;  so  that  the  betrayal  of  Judas,  as  well 
as  the  calling  of  Peter,  are  the  work  of  God, 
let  him  be  anathema."  ^ 

These  decrees  were  directed  against  Mar- 
tin   Luther,   the   author   of    the    Protestant 
Reformation,  who  had  asserted  that  by  the  sin 
^  Sess.  VI)  can.  5.  ^  Ibid,  can.  6. 


COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE  293 

of  Adam,  man  had  lost  entirely  his  free  will, 
so  that  he  is  unable  to  do  anything  good 
or  bad,  but  that  all  actions  good  and  bad 
are  God's,  and  that  man  is  only  an  instru- 

"^^  ment  which  God  uses,'^just  as  a  carpen- 
ter uses  a  saw.  It  is  clear  that  if  that  were 
true,  man  would  not  be  responsible  for  his 
acts.     We  could  no  more  blame  a  man  for 

X  what  he  did  than  we  blame  a  knife  which 
has  been  used  to  commit  murder.  As  we 
do  not  think  of  punishing  the  instrument 
for  the  crime  that  was  committed  with  it,  just 
as  little  would  it  be  right  for  God  to  punish 
us,  if  we  were  not  free  in  our  actions  and 
were  only,  as  it  were,  lifeless  instruments  in 
His  hands.  We  would  not  commit  sin,  but 
God  would  be  the  author  of  all  crimes. 
What  a  blasphemy!  How  would  God  be 
all-just  and  all-holy,  if  He  were  the  author 
of  all  the  injustice  and  of  all  the  sins  that 
are  committed?  We  would  not  be  able  to 
do  anything  that  is  good  and  worthy  of  re- 
ward. God  could  not  promise  us  heaven 
as   a  reward   for    our   faithfulness.      There 


294  COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE 

would  be  no  room  for  heaven  and  hell.  Our 
own  understanding  tells  us  that  this  cannot 
be  true,  that  we  have  free  will,  and  that  we 
are  responsible  for  what  we  do.  God  created 
man  to  His  own  image  and  likeness.*^  Just 
as  God  has  intellect  and  free  will,  so  also 
has  man.  Free  will  belongs  to  our  nature. 
Through  original  sin  all  supernatural  gifts 
were  lost;  but  those  that  belong  to  our 
nature,  such  as  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
the  intellect,  and  the  freedom  of  the  will, 
were  not  destroyed.  Christ  redeemed  us 
from  sin,  and  through  the  sacraments  which 
He  established  in  His  Church  we  obtain 
again  those  supernatural  gifts  of  grace  which 
were  lost  by  sin.  In  giving  us  these  super- 
natural gifts  He  does  not  take  away  those 
that  belong  to  us  by  right  of  nature,  under- 
standing, and  free  will.  He  elevates  them, 
and  makes  them  more  powerful.  By  actual 
grace  God  illumines  the  intellect,  and  He 
strengthens  the  will  that  we  see  better  what 
is  good  and  be  more  inclined  to  do  it. 
Grace  does  not  do  all;  it  helps  the  natural. 


COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE  295 

powers    of    man   and    turns   them    to   God. 
It  is  called  actual  grace  because  it  helps  us  , 
to  act  according  to  the  will  of  God.     Grace,  • 
therefore,  does  not  deprive  us  of   our  free 
will;  otherwise  our  acts  would  not  be  ours 
but  God's. 

Actual  grace  consists  in  an  enlightening 
of  the  understanding  and  a  moving  of  the 
will  to  know  and  to  do  good  and  to  shun 
evil.  //  is  true  by  this  enlightening  of  the 
understanding  man  often  clearly  sees  the  good, 
but  from  this  it  does  not  follow  that  he 
will  do  what  he  understands  to  be  good.  He 
will  see  clearly  that  his  manner  of  living 
is  wrong;  but  it  does  not  follow  from  this 
that  he  will  leave  his  old  ways  and  be  con- 
verted. The  scribes  and  Pharisees  could 
not  deny  the  truth  of  Christ's  teaching ;  He 
had  confirmed  His  words  by  many  miracles, 
and  He  had  told  them,  "  Though  you  will 
not  believe  Me,  believe  the  works."  ^  But 
were  they  converted  ?  Far  from  it ;  when 
they  could  not  deny  the  doctrine  they  killed 

1  John  10.  38. 


296  COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE 

the  Teacher.  Through  the  preaching  of 
the  missionaries  many  heathens  have  come 
to  the  understanding  that  Christianity  is 
the  true  religion;  but  they  did  not  accept 
it  because  they  did  not  feel  inclined  to 
change  their  sinful  ways  of  living.  They 
"loved  darkness  rather  than  the  light,  for 
their  works  were  evil."^  The  same  is  true 
to-day;  many  would  become  Christians  if 
they  did  not  have  to  lead  Christian  lives. 
Even  among  those  who  call  themselves 
Christians,  but  are  not  Catholics,  there  are 
no  doubt  many  who  see  clearly  that  the 
Catholic  Church  is  the  Church  which  Jesus 
Christ  established  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
but  for  worldly  reasons  —  for  the  sake  of  the 
opinion  of  men,  for  the  sake  of  money,  out 
of  human  respect,  etc.  —  they  do  not  enter 
the  Catholic  Church.  God  has  illumined 
their  understanding;  He  has  made  them 
understand  the  truth,  but  He  has  left  them 
their  free  will;  He  has  not  compelled 
them  to  accept  His  truth  against  their  will. 
1  John  3. 19. 


COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE  297 

The  same  is  true  as  regards  the  moving  of 
the  will.  God  uses  various  means  to  move 
the  will  of  man  to  do  good.  He  arouses  in 
man  the  sentiment  of  fear  of  punishment, 
hope  of  eternal  reward,  the  sentiments  of 
love  and  gratitude ;  He  has  loved  us  first, 
and  has  showered  His  gifts  upon  us  in  abun- 
dance. Through  these  sentiments  a  great 
force  is  brought  to  bear  on  the  will  of  man 
to  do  good  and  to  avoid  offending  so  good 
a  God  by  sin.  Who,  when  he  reads  or  hears 
the  words  of  Our  Lord  declaring  that  hell 
is  an  inextinguishable  fire,  where  there  is 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  does  not 
resolve  to  lead  a  good  life,  so  as  not  to  fall 
into  so  terrible  a  punishment?  Likewise, 
when  one  hears  of  the  happiness  and  pleas- 
ures of  heaven  which  are  so  great  that 
/*eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  what 
things  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  Him,  "^  every  one  is  moved  to  the 
resolution  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  reach 

1 1  Cor.  2.  9. 


298  COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE 

this  happy  state,  where  there  will  be  no  pain 
nor  suffering,  nor  evil  of  any  kind.  When  we 
hear  a  sermon  on  the  goodness  of  God,  that 
He  has  loved  us  as  His  children,  even  be- 
fore we  were  born  into  this  world /if  we 
turn  our  eyes  to  the  cross  and  are  reminded 
of  all  that  Jesus  suffered  to  save  us  from 
sin  and  eternal  death ;  when  we  contemplate 
the  excessive  love  of  Jesus,  shown  us  in  the 
Blessed  Sacrament ;  —  our  hearts,  unless  they 
be  as  hard  as  stone,  will  be  moved  to  love 
Him  in  return.  As  strong,  however,  as  this 
movement  of  the  heart  to  love  God  and  to 
shun  evil  may  be,  it  does  not  take  away  our 
free  will.  We  remain  free  to  resist  this 
impulse  for  good.  Do  we  not  see  multi- 
tudes of  people  who,  despite  the  fear  of  hell 
and  the  hope  of  heaven,  continue  to  lead 
sinful  lives  .f*  Many  there  are  who  care 
nothing  for  the  love  of  God,  and  who  abuse 
the  gifts  He  bestows  on  them,  to  insult  and 
offend  Him.  The  great  gift  of  free  will 
which  God  gave  them  to  serve  Him,  they 
use  in  order  to  sin  against   Him. 


COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE  299 

Would  it  not  be  better  then  that  men  had 
no  free  will,  and  that  God  shottld  compel 
them  to  serve  Him,  seeing  that  so  many 
abuse  free  will?  No ;  God  willed  man  to 
be  free,  and  what  God  wills  is  always  best. 
God  willed  to  have  different  creatures,  and 
in  the  multitude  and  difference  of  creatures 
consists  the  beauty  and  order  of  the  world. 
There  are  some  that  serve  God  necessarily. 
The  stars  of  the  heavens  go  their  way  and 
fulfil  the  commandments  of  God,  but  they 
are  not  free ;  they  cannot  do  otherwise  than 
obey  the  will  of  God.  He  has  prescribed 
their  course  and  established  the  laws  that 
rule  their  motion;  they  carry  out  His  will, 
but  of  necessity.  So  it  is  with  all  other 
things  that  have  not  received  intellect  anci 
free  will.  Besides  these  creatures  God  also) 
wished  to  have  some  to  serve  Him,  know-\ 
ing  what  they  do;  and  He  created  thei 
angels  and  man.  God  wished  to  give  then/ 
free  will  that  they  might  serve  Him  of  theii\^ 
own  accord.  He  gave  them  free  will,  even 
when   He  knew  that  some  would  use  this 


300  COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE 

gift  against  Him  and  refuse  to  serve  Him. 
Even  at  the  risk  of  having  some  men  dis- 
obey Him  and  refuse  His  service,  He  gave 
man  free  will,  that  some,  at  least,  might  serve 
Him  of  their  own  free  will  and  out  of  love. 
Though  our  first  parents  disobeyed  Him, 
and  weakened  their  will  for  good  by  sin,  God 
helps  us  by  His  grace  to  overcome  the  weak- 
ness of  our  will  and  the  inclination  to  evil ; 
yet  He  does  not  force  us  to  serve  Him ;  He 
leaves  us  still  free.  God  Himself  is  infi- 
nitely free  and  loves  to  ]iave  His  children  free, 
jy.  He  has  commanded  us,  "Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord,  thy  God,  with  thy  whole  heart."  ^  We 
could  not  obey  this  commandment  if  we 
had  not  free  will.  It  is  true,  without  free- 
dom of  the  will  there  would  be  no  sin,  no 
hell;  but  without  freedom  of  the  will  there 
would  likewise  be  no  virtue,  no  heaven,  no 
supernatural  happiness.  It  is,  therefore,  not 
better  to  be  without  a  free  will. 

But  let  us  suppose  that  some  one  despite 
all  this  would  still  prefer  not  to  have  free 
1  Matt.  22.  37. 


COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE  301 

will  SO  as  not  to  be  able  to  sin  and  endanger 
his  salvation.  To  such  a  one  we  can  say, 
you  have  your  free  will,  you  can  do  with  it 
what  you  will.  Give  your  free  will  to  God, 
by  resolving  not  to  follow  your  own  will,  but 
to  inquire  in  all  things  what  God  wills  you 
to  do.  Jesus  taught  us  the  "  Our  Father " 
in  which  we  say  daily,  "  Thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  Try  to  make  this 
prayer  true  in  your  case.  X  Do  nothing  that 
is  in  the  least  opposed  to  the  will  of  God ; 
let  your  will  be  entirely  absorbed  in  His 
will  ^imagine  that  you  have  no  will  of  your 
own  except  to  do  the  will  of  God.  When 
you  have  succeeded  in  doing  this  then 
you  will  have  obtained   true   liberty,  —  the 

:  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.     This  is  true 
liberty,  —  to  be  free  from  the  domination  of  ^^Ki^^m^ 
passion  and  the  evil  inclinations  of  the  flesh, 
to  be  able  to  give  one's  self  unreservedly  to 

\Him,  to  will  nothing  but  what  God  wills. 

.  It    is    the    liberty    of    the    saints    to    will 

''nothing  but  good. 

After  this  liberty  we  must  strive ;  it  is  the 


302  COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE 

liberty  of  the  angels  and  saints  in  heaven. 
It  is  true,  we  shall  never  reach  it  entirely 
in  this  world,  but  the  closer  we  approach  to 
it,  the  more  pious  and  the  more  perfect  we 
shall  be.  In  heaven  we  shall  acquire  it  in 
its  fulness ;  there  we  shall  not  be  disturbed 
by  evil  passions  and  sins,  we  shall  will  only 
good  and  what  God  wills.  The  saints,  too, 
have  lived  here  upon  earth;  they  have 
denied  their  own  free  will  in  order  to  do 
in  all  things  the  will  of  God.  Now  their 
will  is  entirely  united  to  His  will ;  what  He 
wills,  they  also  will ;  the  prayer,  "  Thy  will 
be  done,"  is  realized  in  them.  -  It  is  to 
strive  for  this  liberty  that  so  many  men  and 
women  in  the  Church  become  monks  and 
nuns  and  take  the  vows  of  poverty,  chastity, 
and  obedience,  that  they  may  become  free 
from  the  things  of  the  world,  deny  their  own 
will,  and  do  only  the  will  of  God.  This  is 
what  Our  Lord  meant  when  He  said, ..If 
thou  wilt  be  perfect,  deny  thyself  and  follow 
Me.^ 

^  Matt.  19.  21. 


COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE  303 

Instead  of  resisting  grace  we  must  co- 
operate with  it.  Let  us  see  by  an  example 
what  this  means.  A  small  child  is  to  learn 
to  walk.  The  mother  puts  it  on  its  feet, 
but  without  letting  go  of  it.  What  must 
the  child  do  that  it  may  learn  to  walk? 
Evidently  it  must  do  something  on  its  part ; 
it  must  try  to  stand  on  its  feet :  it  must  en- 
deavor  to  take  steps.  If  it  refuses  abso- 
lutely to  do  anything,  it  will  never  learn 
how  to  walk.  So  it  is  with  the  grace  of 
God.  God  does  all  that  is  necessary  on 
His  part,  but  we,  too,  must  do  something. 
He  helps  us  and  encourages  us  by  His  pre- 
venting grace;  He,  as  it  were,  moves  us 
along  and  shows  us  what  we  are  to  do. 
Man  must  allow  God  to  help  him ;  he  must 
try  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  perform  the 
good  work.  If  man  refuses  to  accept  the 
grace  of  God,  the  good  work  will  remain 
undone,  and  he  will  have  received  the  grace 
of  God  in  vain. 

We  can  see  this  still  more  clearly  by  con- 
sidering a  few  examples  of  resisting  grace, 


304  COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE 

narrated  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  It  was  cer- 
tainly a  great  grace  to  be  called  to  the  crib 
of  Our  Lord  when  He  was  born.  Men  had 
waited  for  the  promised  Redeemer  for  thou- 
sands of  years.  What  a  great  privilege  it  was 
to  be  called  to  see  and  adore  Him  as  soon  as 
He  was  born  into  the  world !  This  grace  was 
offered  to  the  wise  men  from  the  East  and 
to  some  shepherds  who  tended  their  flocks  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Bethlehem.  They  ac- 
cepted the  grace  of  God,  and  came  and  found 
the  Saviour.  Would  they  have  been  bene- 
fited by  this  invitation  if  they  had  done 
nothing  on  their  part  t  Certainly  not.  They 
would  not  have  seen  the  King  of  kings. 
They  cooperated  with  grace.  The  shepherds 
said,  yt*  Let  us  go  over  to  Bethlehem  and  let 
us  see  this  word  that  is  come  to  pass,  which 
the  Lord  hath  showed  to  us;"^  and  they  came 
with  haste.  The  wise  men,  in  like  manner, 
when  they  saw  the  star,  consulted  with  them- 
selves to  learn  its  meaning ;  they  made  the 
necessary  preparations  for  the  long  journey, 

^  Luke  2.  15. 


COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE  305 

and  did  not  fear  any  obstacle ;  they  despised 
all  dangers,  and  did  not  rest  until  they  found 
the  Child  whom  they  had  been  called  to  see. 
Both  the  shepherds  and  the  wise  men  found 
the  Saviour,  and  were  rejoiced  by  the  sight, 
because  they  did  not  neglect  the  grace  of 
God,  but  cooperated  with  it. 

On  the  other  hand^  Herod  and  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Jerusalem  were  also  offered  the  grace 
of  coming  and  adoring  the  Saviour,  but  they 
resisted  the  calling  grace  of  God.  The 
wise  men  told  them  that  the  King  of  the 
Jews  had  been  born,  and  that  they  had 
seen  His  star  in  the  East.  The  chief 
priests  and  scribes  even  named  the  place, 
where,  according  to  the  old  prophecies. 
He  was  to  be  born.  X  But  they  did  not  go 
to  see  Him  for  whom  the  people  had  sighed 
and  prayed  for  centuries  and  centuries;  be- 
cause they  did  not  cooperate  with  it,  they 
lost  the  benefit  of  the  grace  that  was  offered 
them.  Herod  went  even  further ;  he  sought 
the  Child,  not  to  adore  the  Saviour,  but,  if 
possible,  to  murder  Him. 


3o6  COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE 

Later  on  the  priests^  scribes^  mid  Pharisees 
acted  in  the  same  manner.  Christ  Himself 
preached  His  doctrine  to  them;  He  called 
them  to  eternal  life ;  He  confirmed  His 
teaching  by  many  signs  and  miracles;  He 
proved  to  them  that  He  was  the  One  who 
was  to  come,  who  had  been  foretold  by 
the  prophets.  Still,  despite  this  enlighten- 
ing of  their  minds,  they  hardened  their 
hearts  to  His  influence,  and  did  not  rest 
in  their  hatred  of  Him  until  they  saw  Him 
nailed  to  the  cross.  It  was  certainly  a 
great  grace  for  these  unfortunate  people 
that  Christ  Himself  undertook  to  teach 
them ;  but  they  resisted  this  great  grace, 
and  hence  it  was  of  no  avail  to  them  for 
their  eternal  salvation.  Their  condition 
was  even  worse  than  before,  because  they 
rejected  the  call  of  God. 

If  any  one  resists  the  grace  of  God,  that 
grace  is  7zot  only  useless  for  him,  but  there  are 
besides  this  many  evil  consequences  connected 
with  this  infidelity.  Such  a  one  makes  him- 
self unworthy  to  receive  further  grace ;  and 


.of 


COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE  307 

when  we  consider  the  necessity  of  grace  for 
salvation,  we  can  understand  what  a  terrible 
Xthmg  it  is  to  trifle  with  the  grace  of  God, 
and  make  ourselves  unworthy  to  receive 
more.  Again,  it  puts  upon  us  a  great 
responsibility,  for  we  must  one  day  give 
an  account  of  the  use  we  have  made 
;the  help  which  God  has  given  us  by 
grace.  Finally,  if  we  resist  grace,  we  sini 
against  our  own  salvation.  By  resisting, 
grace  we  deprive  ourselves  of  that  which 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  our  salvation; 
Such  a  sin  can  easily  become  a  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost,  which  would  render  our 
conversion  most  difficult,  if  not  quite  im- 
possible.^ )JA/"e  must,  therefore,  be  on  our 
guard  not  to  close  our  hearts  to  the  in- 
fluence of  grace,  but  rather  accept  it  with 
gratitude  and  work  with  it.  V 

Our  cooperation  with  grace  must  be  faith- 
fuL  Fidelity  is  the  mark  of  a  good  servant 
who  serves  his  master  well,  remains  with 
him,  does  all  his  master  commands  him  to 
do,  and  is  perfectly  honest   in   his  service. 


3o8  COOPERATION  WITH   GRACE 

We,  too,  will  be  faithful  servants  of  God,  if 
we  are  mindful  of  our  supernatural  destiny, 
work  carefully  for  our  salvation,  and  do  the 
will  of  God  in  all  things,  accepting  with  grati- 
tude the  graces  He  gives  us.  Such  a  faith- 
ful servant  was  St.  Paul.^  When  on  his 
way  to  Damascus  Our  Lord  called  him  by 
His  grace  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth; 
he  asked,  **  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  that  I  do  ?  " 
And  when  Our  Lord  told  him  to  go  to  Da- 
mascus, that  he  would  be  told  there  what  to 
do,  he  went  straightway  and  did  all  that 
Annanias  told  him.  In  this  way  he  con- 
tinued through  his  whole  life.  He  never 
consulted  his  own  ease,  but  worked  and  suf- 
fered for  his  Master's  cause  until  death.  He 
did  the  will  of  God  in  all  things.  He  al- 
lowed himself  to  be  led  by  the  grace  of  God, 
and  cooperated  faithfully  with  it.  For  this 
reason  God  blessed  his  work  and  did  great 
things  through  him.  Hence  he  could  truth- 
fully say,  "'  I  have  labored  more  abundantly 
than  all  of  the  apostles,  yet  not  I,  but  the 
1  Acts  9. 


COOPERATION   WITH   GRACE  309 

grace  of  God  with  me."  ^  Therefore,  both  the 
grace  of  God  and  St.  Paul  worked  together, 
or,  in  other  words,  he  cooperated  with  the 
grace  of  God,  and  hence  he  achieved  great 
things.  "  His  grace  hath  not  been  void  in 
me."  He  experienced  in  himself  the  great- 
ness of  the  grace  of  God,  and  hence  he  warns 
us  not  to  neglect  it  in  ourselves,  ys,^;  We  help- 
ing do  exhort  that  you  receive  not  the  grace 
of  God  in  vain,"  ^  i,e.  do  not,  by  placing  ob- 
stacles in  the  way,  make  the  grace  of  God 
useless  in  yourselves,  but  rather  work  with  it 
and  exert  yourselves  to  use  the  grace  of  God, 
that  you  may  bring  forth  fruit  in  abundance. 
Look  upon  the  grace  which  God  gives  you 
as  a  talent  that  you  must  work  with  and  in- 
crease.  Just  as  the  master  in  the  gospel 
gave  to  those  servants,  that  had  made  good 
use  of  the  talents  given  them,  twice  as  many, 
so  God  will  also  double  our  grace  if  we 
make  good  use  of  it.  He  will  give  us 
"grace  for  grace "^  and  lead  us  continually ^^ 
to  higher  degrees  of  virtue.  We  often  won- 
1 1  Cor.  15.  10.  ^  2  Cor.  6.  i.  •  John  i.  16. 


310  COOPERATION  WITH  GRACE 

der  at  the  high  degree  of  sanctity  some 
saints  have  reached,  and  at  such  times  we 
are  inclined  to  forget  that  they,  toof^were 
•hrorrmrr  '^and'-'iTxned  ^yerg^-trpoTr  earth-'^  -^ttr*-' 
rounded  by  the  same  dangers  and  tempta-  . 
i  tions  as  ourselves.  ^  The  saints  had  to 
Vive  the  same  life  that  we  are  living,  y  The 
reason   for  their  great  sanctity  was  in  this, 

jthe  grace  of  God.  They  received  it  with 
gratitude,  cooperated  with  it,  and  so  received 
continually  a  greater  abundance  of  this  gift 
of  God's  mercy.  If  we  abandon  ourselves  to 
the  influence  of  grace,  and  allow  it  to  work 
on  our  souls,  we,  too,  will  grow  continually 
A  in  holiness,  for  "  this  is  the  will  of  God,  your 
sanctification."  ^ 

*  I  Thess.  4.  3. 


XII 

ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE.   CONCLUSION 
ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE 

What  is  the  grace  of  perseverance  ? 
The  grace  of  perseverance  is  a  particular  gift  of  God 
which  enables  us  to  continue  in  the  state  of  grace  till  death. 

Through  the  sin  of  our  first  parents  we 
lost  the  friendship  of  God,  and  became  His 
enemies ;  of  ourselves  we  were  unable  to  rise 
from  sin  or  to  do  anything  to  regain  the 
good  pleasure  of  God.  God  took  pity  on 
our  helpless  condition,  and  sent  His  only 
begotten  Son  to  redeem  us.  By  grace, 
which  He  obtained  for  us,  and  which  was 
applied  to  our  souls  in  Baptism,  we  were 
cleansed  from  sin  and  made  children  'of 
God  and  heirs  of  His  kingdom.  By  His 
grace  we  were  justified,  and  the  divine  vir- 
tues of  faith,  hope,  and  charity  were  infused 
into  our   souls.     All  this  was  done,  not  on 

3" 


312  ON  GRACE   OF  PERSEVERANCE 

account  of  any  merits  on  our  part,  but  by  the 

mercy  and  goodness  of  God.     Divine  grace 

did  not  destroy  our  nature,  but   elevated  it 

above  its  own  innate   powers ;    it  made  us 

capable  of  performing  works,  meritorious  of 

heaven.     Divine  grace  raises  the  soul  to  God, 

so  that  we  become,  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle, 

i  "  partakers  of  the  divine  nature."     By  divine 

*  grace  God  Himself  dwells  in  our  souls ;  our 

i  bodies  become  the  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost ; 

we   become   sons   of    God.     Just  as  iron  is 

transformed   by  heat,  so  the   soul  is   trans- 

'  formed   by  divine  grace.     Naturally,  iron  is 

cold  and  hard,  but  when  it  becomes  heated 

it  becomes  soft  and  pliable ;  its  whole  nature 

seems  changed ;  before  it  was  dark  in  color, 

now  it  is  luminous;  it  was  cold,  now  it  is 

hot;   it   was    inflexible,  now   it   is  soft   and 

pliable.    Likewise  the  soul,  when  it  is  adorned 

with  sanctifying  grace,  is  totally  changed ;  it 

is  still  the  same  soul,  it  has  still  its  natural 

faculties,  but  it  has  acquired  new  and  higher 

^'properties.     If   we  could   see    it,  we  would 

scarcely  believe  it   to  be    the   same    being 


ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE  313 

it  was  before.  The  soul  is  now  inflamed/ 
with  the  love  of  God ;  it  has  become  obedient  \ 
to  His  holy  will;  it  no  longer  finds  its  pleas- 
ure in  sin,  but  rather  in  the  service  of  its^ 
Creator.  This  happy  state  will  continue  un- 
til it  is  destroyed  by  mortal  sin.  Mortal  sin 
drives  the  grace  of  God  from  our  hearts,  and 
casts  us  back  into  the  misery  from  which 
God,  through  His  grace,  rescued  us.  The 
state  of  grace  is  a  free  gift  of  God ;  it  was 
given  us  not  by  reason  of  our  deserts,  but  on 
account  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God. 
Although  grace  is  a  free  gift  of  God,  it  does 
not  on  that  account  destroy  our  free  will ; 
we  are  still  free  to  reject  it  and  turn  to  sin. 
God  wishes  not  a  compulsory  but  a  free  ser- 
vice, and  therefore  He  does  not  take  away 
our  free  will.  As  long  as  we  live  we  are  in 
danger  of  losing  the  grace  of  God  by  com- 
mitting wilful  mortal  sin,  and  so  of  losing 
the  friendship  of  God  and  the  happiness  of 
heaven  which  is  to  be  its  reward  and  com- 
pletion in  the  next  world.  Hence  the  ques- 
tion  presents  itself,  whether  we  can  of  our 


314  ON  GRACE   OF  PERSEVERANCE 

own  strength  continue  in  the  state  of  grace 
until  death,  or  whether  in  this,  too,  we  are 
dependent  on  God.  To  continue  in  the 
state  of  grace  until  death  we  call  final 
perseverance. 

To  persevere  means  to  continue  in  some 
state  or  action ;  thus,  when  a  boy  continues  in 
his  studies,  despite  all  temptations  to  leave 
them,  we  say  that  he  is  very  persevering 
in  his  studies.  Generally,  we  mean  by  per- 
severance only  continuing  in  good ;  so,  a  man 
who  has  been  given  to  cursing,  and  after  a 
good  confession  makes  a  firm  resolution  to 
sin  no  more,  and  keeps  that  resolution,  is 
said  to  be  persevering  or  to  have  persever- 
ance. Our  catechism  on  this  question,  how- 
ever, speaks  of  perseverance,  not  for  a  time, 
but  until  death ;  this  we  call  final  perse- 
verance^ because  it  lasts  till  the  end  of 
our  life.  Final  perseverance,  then,  consists 
in  continuing  in  the  state  of  grace  until 
death;  and  this,  the  catechism  tells  us,  is 
a  special  grace  of  God.  Final  perseverance 
comprises  two  things:   resistance  to  mortal 


ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE  315 

sin  and  hence  continuing  in  the  state 
of  grace^and  the  coming  of  death  whilst 
we  are  in  the  state  of  grace.  If  one  should 
continue  in  the  state  of  grace  for  years  and 
years,  but  fall  into  mortal  sin  just  before 
death,  we  could  not  say  of  him  that  he  per- 
severed till  the  end  or  that  he  had  final 
perseverance.  On  the  other  hand,  a  person 
that  dies  immediately  after  Baptism,  before 
there  was  even  so  much  as  a  chance  to  com- 
mit sin,  would  have  persevered  in  grace 
until  death.  Final  perseverance  does  not 
depend  on  the  length  of  time  one  spends  in  * 
the  state  of  grace,  but  rather  on  dying  in  # 
that  blessed  state  of  union  with  God.  To 
have  final  perseverance  it  is  not  enough  to 
resist  sin  for  days,  months,  or  even  years, 
but  we  must  resist  sin  and  remain  in  the 
state  of  grace  until  death.  The  essential 
thing  is  to  be  found  a  friend  of  God  whenj  < 
He  calls  us  to  give  an  account  of  our  life. 

Our  catechism  calls  final  perseverance  a 
particular  gift  of  God.  It  is  a  gift,  ue.  it 
is  given  to  men,  not  for  their  merits,  not 


3i6  ON   GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE 

because  they  have  deserved  it,  but  out  of 
mercy  and  love.  God  is  our  Sanctifier  and 
Saviour;  our  sanctification  through  grace 
and  our  salvation  depend  entirely  on  His  free 
will.  We  become  His  children,  because  He 
wills  to  adopt  us ;  we  become  heirs  of  His 
kingdom,  because  He  wills  to  give  it  to  us; 
we  are  made  happy  forever,  because  by  His 
grace  of  perseverance  He  assists  us  to  con- 
quer sin,  and  by  the  disposition  of  His  divine 
providence  allows  death  to  end  the  time  of 
our  trial  here  upon  earth  whilst  we  are  His 
friends.  JThe  grace  of  final  perseverance  is 
not  included  in  sanctifying  grace ;  otherwise 
every  one  who  has  been  baptized  would  per- 
severe, and  could,  therefore,  no  longer  fall 
into  sin  and  be  lost.  It  is  true,  by  sanctify- 
ing grace  we  are  made  children  of  God  and 
receive  a  right  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
but  we  must  also  remember  that  our  free 
will  is  not  taken  away,  and  that  consequently 
we  can  still  sin  grievously,  and  lose  the 
friendship  of  God  together  with  the  right  to 
heaven.       This  right  to  the  inheritance  of 


ON   GRACE   OF  PERSEVERANCE  317 

the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  given  to  the  chil- 
dren of  God;  heaven  is  promised  to  His 
friends,  and  therefore,  when  through  sin  we 
become  His  enemies,  we  lose  also  our  right 
to  the  reward  of  the  obedient  sons  and 
friends  of  God.  As  long  as  we  remain  in 
the  state  of  grace  heaven  is  ours,  but  just  as 
soon  as  we  fall  into  mortal  sin  then  heaven 
is  lost  to  us.  Final  perseverance  is  a  gift 
distinct  from  sanctifying  grace ;  it  is,  as  the 
catechism  S2iys,2i  particular giii  oi  God.  All 
who  possess  sanctifying  grace  do  not  per- 
severe in  the  state  of  grace  until  death; 
many  unfortunately  throw  aside  this  precious 
gift  of  divine  grace  and  commit  mortal  sin. 
Unless  these  do  penance  and  are  again  rein- 
stated into  the  friendship  of  God,  they  will 
be  lost  for  all  eternity.  "  He  that  shall  per- 
severe  to  the  end,  shall  be  saved."  ^  That 
final  perseverance  is  a  particular  gift  of  God 
is  taught  by  the  Catholic  Church  in  the 
Council  of  Trent:  "  If  any  one  shall  say  that 
one  who  is  justified  can  persevere  in  the 
1  Matt.  24. 13. 


3i8  ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE 

justice  he  has  received,  without  the  special 
help  of  God,  or  that  with  it  he  cannot  per- 
severe, let  him  be  anathema,"  ^  ix,  cut  off  from 
the  Church.  It  is  the  teaching  of  the  Church 
that  without  the  special  help  of  God  we  can- 
not remain  in  the  state  of  grace  until  death, 
and  that  with  that  help  we  can  persevere  in 
/grace  until  the  end  of  our  lives.  In  order 
\that  we  may  continue  a  long  time  in  the  state 
iof  grace  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  overcome 
tnany  temptations  and  avoid  mortal  sin; 
I  to  do  this  we  need  the  help  of  divine  grace, 
\which  God  is  ever  ready  to  give  us.  Final 
perseverance,  however,  consists  especially  in 
dying  in  the  state  of  grace.  This  is  not  for 
us  to  dispose  of;  God  in  His  wise  provi- 
dence regulates  the  time  of  our  death.  The 
gift  of  final  perseverance  is  the  grace  of  God 
by  which  in  His  providence  He  so  disposes 
as  to  bring  about  our  departure  from  this 
world  at  a  time  when  we  are  in  His  friend- 
ship. With  some  the  gift  of  final  persever- 
ance  consists  in   the   special   help  of    God 

^  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  VI,  can.  22. 


ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE  319 


\ 


to  overcome  temptations  until  death;    witl^' 
others  it  consists  in  the  removal  of  the  dan 
ger  of  sin ;  with  others  it  is  a  sudden  death 
that  takes  them  out  of  life  before  they  sin  '^J  [ . 
with  others  again,  it  consists  in  a  prolonging!  * 
of  life  to  give  them  time  for  repentance ;  with^^ 
some  it  consists  in  aid  to  resist  sin,  and  witll 
others  in  a  timely  death.  ^ 

From  what  has  been  said  we  can  see 
that  even  in  the  case  of  small  children 
who  die  before  they  acquire  the  use  of 
reason,  and  hence  the  power  to  sin,  final 
perseverance  is  a  special  gift  of  God.  To 
them  applies  the  sentence  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture :  "  He  pleased  God  and  was  beloved,  ^^ 
and  living  among  sinners,  he  was  trans- 
lated. He  was  taken  away  lest  wickedness 
should  alter  his  understanding,  or  deceit 
beguile  his  soul."  ^  It  is  certainly  a  special 
gift  of  God  to  be  taken  out  of  this  world 
whilst  in  the  state  of  grace,  before  that 
state  is  lost  by  sin.  The  same  may  be 
said  of   the  sinner  who  does  penance,  and 

^Wisd.  4.  10,  II. 


320  ON   GRACE   OF   PERSEVERANCE 

after  receiving  forgiveness  for  his  sins  dies 
before  he  can  commit  another  sin.  He,  too, 
is  translated  lest  sin  beguile  his  understand- 
ing. In  the  same  way  one  who  has  fallen 
into  sin  receives  a  particular  gift  of  God, 
when  through  His  mercy  he  is  given  time 
for  repentance.  Just  as  grace  is  given  us 
without  merit  on  our  part,  so  also,  God  makes 
us  persevere  in  grace  until  death ;  so  that  if 
we  are  saved,  it  is  through  the  mercy  of  God 
^  ^  that  we  obtain  salvation.  "  He  who  hath 
begun  a  good  work  in  you,  will  perfect  it 
unto  the  day  of  Christ  Jesus."  ^  As  the 
beginning  of  the  life  of  grace  is  from  God, 
so  is  its  perfection  in  the  glory  of  heaven. 
Final  perseverance  is  a  free  gift  of  God^ 
and  cannot  be  merited  by  us^  but  it  can  be 
obtained  through  fervent  prayer.  Our  Lord 
admonishes  us  "to  watch  and  pray."  He 
taught  us  the  Our  Father  in  which  we  ask, 
"  Thy  kingdom  come "  and  "  lead  us  not 
into  temptation  but  deliver  us  from  evil." 
Without  the  gift  of  final  perseverance  His 
1  Philip.  I.  6. 


ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE  321 

kingdom  will  not  come  to  us,  nor  will  we '^ 
be  delivered  from  evil ;  for  certainly  there  | 
can  be  no  greater  evil  than  to  be  separated  ' 
from  God  by  sin  and  to  lose  heaven  for 
eternity.  Jesus  wishes  us,  therefore,  to  pray 
for  the  grace  of  final  perseverance.  If  we 
could  merit  this  grace  by  our  good  works, 
we  would  not  need  to  pray  for  it.  His 
admonition  to  pray  for  final  perseverance 
means,  therefore,  that  we  cannot  merit  it; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  also  means  that 
we  can  obtain  it  by  prayer,  otherwise  He 
should  not  have  told  us  to  pray  for  it. 
The  Church  in  her  prayer  teaches  us  the 
same  lesson;  on  the  third  day  after  Pas- 
sion Sunday  she  prays  that  God  might 
"  Give  us  a  persevering  service  in  His  will.'* 
St.  Augustine,  who  defended  this  doctrine 
against  the  Pelagians,  says,  "  Is  this  prayer 
then  foolish,  since  we  would  ask  that  of 
Him,  which  we  know  He  will  not  give,  and 
which  without  His  giving,  it  is  in  the  power 
of  man  to  have.?"^    If  we  are  to  pray  for 

1  De  Don,  Persev.  n.  3. 


322  ON  GRACE   OF  PERSEVERANCE 

final  perseverance,  then  God  will  give  us 
final  perseverance  in  answer  to  our  prayers; 
and  if  we  must  pray  for  it,  then  evidently 
we  cannot  obtain  it  through  our  own  works. 
The  Apostle,  St.  Paul,  teaches  that  it  is  a 
gift  of  God  "to  believe  in  Him  but  also 
to  suffer  for  Him."^  Speaking  of  this 
sentence  of  St.  Paul,  St.  Augustine  says, 
that  the  first,  namely  to  believe  in  God, 
belongs  to  the  beginning  of  salvation,  and 
,  that  the  second,  to  suffer  for  His  sake, 
«  belongs  to  its  perfection,  and  that  both  are 
free  gifts  of  God.  To  obtain  the  gift  of 
final  perseverance,  we  must,  howeyer,  prajr 
rightly ;  that  is,  we  must  pray  in  the  state  of 
grace;  we  must  pray  piously  and  persever- 
ingly.  We  should  not  suppose  that  we 
can  obtain  so  great  a  gift  by  reciting  one 
or  two  short  prayers;  we  must  continue  to 
pray  and  never  cease. 

When  we  consider  that  our  salvation 
depends  on  the  grace  of  final  perseverance, 
we    can    easily   understand    that    this    is    a 

1  Philip.  I.  29. 


ON  GRACE  OF  PERSEVERANCE  323 

most  precious  gift  of  God,  The  Council 
of  Trent  speaks  of  final  perseverance  as  "a 
great  gift,"  and  indeed  rightly  so,  for  is  it 
not  the  perfection  of  all  the  gifts  of  God? 
We  know  what  a  great  gift  actual  and 
sanctifying  grace  is;  and  yet  the  grace  of 
perseverance  is  greater,  for  it  includes  both 
sanctifying  grace  and  a  multitude  of  actual 
graces.  Final  perseverance  includes  the 
state  of  sanctifying  grace  together  with  the 
helps  to  avoid  sin  and  to  die  a  happy 
death.  "  He  that  shall  persevere  to  the  end 
shall  be  saved."  Is  it  not  a  great  mercy 
of  God  so  to  arrange  our  death  that  it 
find  us  in  the  state  of  His  friendship? 
The  holy  Council  of  Trent  tells  us  to 
pray  and  work  that  we  obtain  this  great 
gift  of  God,  "  Let  him  who  thinks  to  stand  ^ 
take  heed  lest  he  fall,  and  let  him  work  his  \ 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  by  labors, 
by  vigils,  by  alms,  by  prayers  and  oblations, 
by  fasting  and  by  chastity."^  As  long  as 
we  live  we   cannot   be   certain  whether  we 

1  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  6.  c.  13. 


[ 


324  ON   GRACE  OF   PERSEVERANCE 

shall  persevere  to  the  end  or  not;  hence, 
we  should  pray  and  fear.  We  should  fear 
and  tremble,  not  lest  God  forsake  us,  but 
lest  we  forget  and  forsake  God.  The  Coun- 
cil enumerates  the  various  goo3*  works  we 
should  perform,  not  as  though  we  could  earn 
the  gift  of  final  perseverance  by  them,  but 
that  God  be  moved  by  them  to  have  mercy 
on  us,  and  bestow  this  great  gift  upon  us. 
i^  Although  final  perseverance  is  a  special 
gift  of  God  which  cannot  be  merited  by  us, 
nevertheless  no  one  will  be  deprived  of  it  except 
through  his  own  fault.  We  know  that  God 
wills  not  the  death  of  the  sinner,  but  that 
he  be  converted  and  live.^  God  does  not 
forget  us  any  more  than  that  "  a  woman  can 
, forget  her  infant."^  He  will  have  all  men  to 
ibe  saved  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth.^  He  stands  "at  the  gate  and 
knocks,"  ^  crying,  "  Come  to  Me,  all  you  that 
I  labor  and  are  burdened,  and  I  will  refresh 
I  you."^     He   has    the    gift  of    perseverance 

^i  Ezech.  i8.  23.      2  Is.  49.  15.      «  Tim.  2.  4.      *  Apoc.  3.  20. 
^  6Matt.  II.  28. 


CONCLUSION  335 

prepared  for  all,  but  they  that  reject  Him  by 
sin,  will  not  receive  it.  They  say  to  God, 
"  Depart  from  us,  we  desire  not  the  knowl- 
edge of  Thy  ways."^  They  are  "  rebel- ^^ 
lious  to  the  light."  ^  The  light  has  come 
to  enlighten  them  and  lead  them  to  heaven, 
but  they  "Loved  darkness  rather  than  the 
light."  ^ 

CONCLUSION 

In  the  beginning  God  created  man  in  the 
state  of  grace ;  man  enjoyed  the  friendship  of 
God  and  was  surrounded  by  supernatural 
helps ;  he  was  to  live  a  short  time  upon  earth 
to  prove  his  faithfulness  to  God,  and  was 
then  to  be  taken  into  heaven  to  be  eternally 
happy  with  God.  This  was  the  end  God  ap- 
pointed for  us.  Our  first  parents,  however, 
transgressed  the  commandment  which  God 
had  given  them,  and  fell  into  sin.  By  this 
they  lost  the  grace  of  God ;  instead  of  being 
His  friends,  as  they  had  been,  they  now 
became  His  enemies.  With  grace  they  lost 
at  the  same  time  the  other  supernatural  gifts 

1  Job  21.  14.         2/^^.24.13.        "John  3.  19. 


326  CONCLUSION 

they  had  received ;  even  their  natural  powers 
were  weakened.  By  original  sin  man's  in- 
teliect  was  darkened,  and  a  great  inclination 
to  sin  was  left  in  his  will.  This  sin  of  Adam 
and  its  consequences  we,  his  children,  have 
inherited.  We  are  born  subject  to  sin, 
enemies  of  God,  incapable  of  ourselves  to  do 
•  'Anything  to  reach  heaven.  Our  lot  would 
have  been  hopeless  had  not  God  in  His 
mercy  sent  us  a  Redeemer  to  satisfy  for  the 
sin  of  Adam  and  for  our  sins.  Christ  came. 
He  was  God  and  man ;  as  man  He  could 
suffer,  and  as  God    He   could  make  ample 

satisfaction  for  sin.  These  two  truths  we 
must  ever  have  in  mind  when  studying  the 
^teaching  of  our  holy  Church  on  grace,  namely, 
rthejielplessness    of    man    on    account    of 

original  sin,  and  the  Redemption  of  mankind 

)y  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God.  Christ  not 
only  made  satisfaction  to  God  for  sin,  but  He 

Jso  obtained  grace  for  us.  By  grace  we  who 
by  nature  were  servants  of  God  and  by  sin 
enemies,  become  His  sons.  We  are  raised  to 
a  supernatural  life ;  all  our  actions  performed 


CONCLUSION  327 

according  to  the  promptings  of  grace,  become 
meritorious  for  heaven ;  Jesus,  the  true  Son  ! 
of  God,  becomes  our  brother.  Through  the  *. 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ  we  receive  a  super- 
abundance of  grace;  we  receive  sanctifying 
grace  which  makes  our  souls  beautiful  and 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God;  we  receive 
actual  grace  which  prepares  us  for  the  recep- 
tion of  sanctifying  grace  and  helps  us  perform 
good  works,  meritorious  for  heaven  when  we 
are  in  the  state  of  grace. 

Grace  is  the  foundation  of  the  supernatural 
life.  Man  may  lead  three  kinds  of  life ;  he 
may  lead  a  life  of  the  senses,  seeking  only 
the  pleasures  of  this  world,  resembling  the 
animals.  There  is  in  our  bodies  the  law  of 
the  flesh,  impelling  us  to  seek  those  things 
which  please  the  senses,  such  as  wealth  and 
sensual  pleasures.  To  follow  this  inclination 
and  to  forget  everything  that  is  higher,  is  to 
forget  the  dignity  of  man,  and  to  become 
Hke  the  brute  animals ;  such  a  one  destroys  in 
himself  the  image  of  God  impressed  on  the 
soul.     Above  the  life  of  the  senses  is  the 


328  CONCLUSION 

life  of  the  intellect  One  who  lives  this  life 
forgets  the  kingdom  of  heaven  and  seeks 
only  the  improvement  of  his  mind  by 
knowledge.  Such  a  one  loves  literature 
and  art,  he  tries  to  live  respectably  before 
his  neighbors.  Such  a  one  is  living  entirely 
for  this  world  and  not  for  heaven;  he  will 
receive  his  reward  also  jn  jdiis  world  in  the 
praise  and  admiration  of  his  fellow-men. 
He  can  expect  no  reward  from  God  because 
he  has  not  lived  for  Him ;  of  him  it  will  be 
said,  "  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  they  have  received 
their  reward."  ^  Higher  than  this  is  the  life 
(rf  grace;  it  is  a  supernatural  life.  It  is  the 
life  of  a  man  who  does  not  seek  the  pleasures 
of  the  senses,  nor  is  satisfied  with  the  higher 
goods  of  the  world,  but  seeks  the  highest  good, 
God  Himself.  Its  foundation  is  divine  grace  ; 
its  faculties,  the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope, 
and  charity ;  its  end,  the  glory  of  God.  This 
is  the  life  the  Christian  should  lead,  for  he  is 
not  a  mere  man ;  he  has  been  made  a  son  of 
God  and  a  brother  of  Jesus  Christ.  His 
» Matt.  6.  2. 


CONCLUSION  329 

life  must  be  in  conformity  with  his  dignity ; 
it  must  be  heavenly,  because  heaven  is  his 
true  home ;  it  must  be  holy,  because  God, 
his  Father,  is  holy;  it  must  be  divine, 
because  by  grace  he  has  become  a  "  partaker 
of  the  divine  nature." 

We  are  sons  of  God  by  grace,  not  by 
nature;  we  are  adopted  sons  of  God.  As 
sons  of  God  we  must  also  lead  the  life  of 
sons  of  God,  i.e,  a  life  higher  than  our  natural 
life.  What  this  consists  in  we  can  learn 
from  Him  who  is  the  Son  of  God  by  nature, 
Jesus  Christ.  Jesus,  the  only-begotten  Son 
of  the  Father,  has  come,  not  only  to  redeem 
us  from  sin  and  obtain  grace  for  us,  but  also 
to  give  us  an  example.  For  this  reason  He 
wished  to  remain  for  thirty-three  years  upon 
earth;  had  He  come  only  to  redeem  us, 
it  would  not  have  been  necessary  for  Him  to 
live  amongst  us  so  long,  a  much  shorter 
time  would  have  been  sufficient.  He  wanted 
to  make  us  sons  of  His  Father,  and  at  the 
same  time  teach  us  how  we  are  to  live  in 
conformity   with   this  great   dignity.      If  a 


i 


330  CONCLUSION 

peasant  boy  were  to  be  adopted  by  a  king,  he 
^would  not  know  how  to  act  in  his  new  sur- 
(roundings;  he  would  have  to  learn  from  those 
•  that  are  accustomed  to  court  life.  So  it  is 
with  us ;  we  must  learn  the  manner  of  living, 
which  is  proper  for  us  in  our  new  capacity  of 
sons  of  God,  from  Jesus  who  came  from 
heaven  to  teach  us  this.  He  is  our  Pattern, 
our  Teacher  and  Guide.  We  must  assimilate 
His  spirit ;  we  must  imitate  His  virtues ;  we 
must  learn  from  Him  what  is  pleasing  to 
His  heavenly  Father.  Like  Jesus  we  must 
learn  to  do  all  things  for  the  glory  of  God ; 
like  Him  we  must  in  all  things  seek  to  do 
the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father;  like  Him 
we  must  pray  without  ceasing ;  like  Him  we 
must  forgive  our  enemies ;  like  Him  we  must 
love  God  above  all  things  and  our  neighbor 
as  ourselves.  All  that  we  do  must  be  done 
out  of  a  motive  that  springs  from  faith.  If 
we  do  this,  then  we  live  from  faith ;  and  if 
we  persevere  in  this  manner  of  life,  we  shall 
be  saved.    

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LITTLE    PRAYER-BOOK    OF    THE    SACRED    HEART.      By  Blessed  Mar- 
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MANUAL  OF     THE   HOLY   FAMILY. 

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MANUAL    OF    THE    SACRED    HEART,    NEW. 

MANUAL    OF    THE    SODALITY   OF   THE    BLESSED   VIRGIN. 

MANUAL    OF    ST.    ANTHONY,    NEW. 

MANUAL    OF    ST.    ANTHONY,    LITTLE.     Lasance. 

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MARI^.    COROLLA.     Poems  by  Father  Edmund  of  the  Heart  of  Mary,  C.P. 
Cloth,  I    25 

MASS     DEVOTIONS    AND     READINGS    ON    THE     MASS.     By  Rev.  F.  X. 
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4 


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25 

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METHOD     OF     CHRISTIAN     DOCTRINE,    SPIRAGO'S.     Edited    by   Right 

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MISCELLANY.     Historical  sketch  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  R*. 

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Redeemer.     Instructions   on   the   Religious    State.     By   St.   Alphonsus   db 

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MISSION  BOOK  FOR  THE  MARRIED.    Very  Rev.  F.  Girardby.  C.SS.R.  o  50 

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PASSION  FLOWERS.  Poems  by  Father  Edmund  of  the  Heart  of  Marv, 
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REVELATIONS  OF  THE  SACRED  HEART  to  Blessed  Margaret  Mary.  Bou, 
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SECRET  OF  SANCTITY.     St.  Francis  de  Sales.  net,  i  00 

SERAPHIC  GUIDE,  THE.  A  Manual  for  the  Members  of  the  Third  Order  of 
St.  Francis.     By  a  Franciscan  Father.  o  60 

SHORT  CONFERENCES  ON  THE  LITTLE  OFFICE  OF  THE  IMMACU- 
LATE CONCEPTION.     Very  Rev.  J.  Rainer.  o  50 

SHORT  STORIES  ON  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE.  From  the  French  by  Mary 
McMahon.  net,  o  75 

SHORT  VISITS  TO  THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT.     Lasance.  o  25 

SPIRAGO'S  METHOD  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE.  Edited  by  Rt.  Rev.  S. 
G.  Messmer.  net,  i  50 

SPIRITUAL  CRUMBS  FOR  HUNGRY  LITTLE  SOULS.  Mart  E.  Richard- 
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6 


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ST.  ANTHONY,  LITTLE  MANUAL  OF.  o  60 

ST.  ANTHONY.     Rev.  Dr.  Jos.  Keller.  o  75 

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net,  2  50 
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Orders,  and  Sodalities.     By  Rev.  B.  Rohner,  O.S.B.  i    25 

VEST-POCKET  GEMS  OF  DEVOTION.  o  20 

VICTORIES  OF  THE  MARTYRS;  or,  the  Lives  of  the  Most  Celebrated  Martyrs 
of  the  Church.     Vol.  IX.     By  Alphonsus  de  Liguori.  net,  i   25 

VISITS  TO  JESUS  IN   THE  TABERNACLE.     Hours  and  Half  Hours  of  Adora- 
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Devotions  for  Mass,  Holy  Communion,  etc.   Rev.  F.  X.  Lasance,     Cloth,    i   25 
VISITS  TO  THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT.     Lasance.  o  25 

VISITS  TO  THE  MOST  HOLY  SACRAMENT  and  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 
By  St.  Alphonsus  de  Liguori.  o  50 

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Spiritual  Treatises.     St.  Alphonsus  de  Liguori.  net,  i   25 

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JUVENILES. 

I 

ADVENTURES  OF  A  CASKET.  o  45' 

ADVENTURES  OF  A  FRENCH  CAPTAIN.  o  45 

AN   ADVENTURE   WITH   THE   APACHES.     By  Gabriel  Fbrrt.  o  4c 

ANTHONY.     A  Tale  of  the  Time  of  Charles  II.  of  England.  o  45 

ARMORER  OF  SOLINGEN.     By  William  Herchenbach.  o  4c 

AS  TRUE  AS  GOLD.     Mannix.  o  45 

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BERKLEYS,  THE.     Wight.  o  4s 

BERTHA;  or,  Consequences  ot  a  Fault.  •  45 


BEST  FOOT  FORWARD.     By  Father  Finn.  o  8s 

BETTER  PART.  o  45 

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BLACK  LADY  AND  ROBIN  RED  BREAST.     By  Canon  Schmid.  o  25 

BLANCHE  DE  MARSILLY.  o  45 

BLISSYLVANIA  POST-OFFICE.     By  Marion  Ames  Taggart.  o  40 

BOB  O'LINK.     Waggaman.  o  45 

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BRIC-A-BRAC  DEALER.  o  45 

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CAKE  AND  THE  EASTER  EGGS.     By  Canon  Schmid.  o  as 

CANARY  BIRD.     By  Canon  Schmid.  o  40 

CAPTAIN  ROUGEMONT.  o  45 

CASSILDA;  or  the  Moorish  Princess.  o  45 

CAVE  BY  THE  BEECH  FORK,  THE.     By  Rev.  H.  S.  Spalding,  S.J.    Cloth, 

o  8s 
CLAUDE  LIGHTFOOT;  or.  How  the  Problem  was  Solved.  By  Father  Finn,  o  85 
COLLEGE  BOY,  A.     By  Anthony  Yorke.     Cloth,  o  85 

CONVERSATION  ON  HOME  EDUCATION.  o  45 

DIMPLING'S  SUCCESS.     By  Clara  Mulholland.  o  40 

EPISODES  OF  THE  PARIS  COMMUNE.     An  Account  of  the  Religious  Persecu- 
tion, o  4S 
ETHELRED  PRESTON;  or  the  Adventures  of  a  Newcomer.     By  Father  Finn. 

o  85 
EVERY-DAY  GIRL,  AN.    By  Mary  C.  Crowley. 
FATAL  DIAMONDS.     By  E.  C.  Donnelly. 
FINN,  REV.  F.  J.,  S.J.; 

HIS  FIRST  AND  LAST  APPEARANCE.    Illustrated. 

THE  BEST  FOOT  FORWARD. 

THAT  FOOTBALL  GAME. 

ETHELRED  PRFSTON. 

CLAUDE  LIGHTFOOT. 

HARRY  DEE. 

TOM  PLAYFAIR. 

PERCY  WYNN. 

MOSTLY  BOYS. 
FISHERMAN'S  DAUGHTER. 

FIVE  O'CLOCK  STORIES;    or,  The  Old  Tales  Told  Again. 
FLOWER  OF  THE  FLOCK,  THE,  and  the  Badgers  of  Beknont.    By  Maurice 

F.  Egan. 
FRED'S  LITTLE  DAUGHTER.     By  Sara  Trainer  Smith. 
GERTRUDE'S  EXPERIENCE.. 
GODFREY  THE  HERMIT.    By  Canon  Schmid. 
GOLDEN  LILY,  THE.     Hinkson. 
GREAT-GRANDMOTHER'S  SECRET. 
HARRY  DEE;    or,  Working  it  Out.     By  Father  Finn. 
HEIR  OF  DREAMS,  AN.     By  Sallie  Margaret  O'Mallbt. 
HER  FATHER'S  RIGHT  HAND. 

HIS  FIRST  AND  LAST  APPEARANCE.    By  Father  Finn. 
HOP  BLOSSOMS.     By  Canon  Schmid. 
HOSTAGE  OF  WAR,  A.     By  Mary  G.  Bonesteel. 
HOW  THEY  WORKED  THEIR  WAY.     By  Maurice  F.  Egan. 
INUNDATION,  THE.     Canon  Schmid. 
JACK  HILDRETH  AMONG  THE  INDIANS,     a  vols.,  each. 


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JACK   HILDRETH    ON   THE    NILE.     By   Marion   Am«s    Taooart.     Cloth, 

o  85 

JACK  O'LANTERN.     By  Marv  T.  Waogaman.  o  40 

JUVENILE  ROUND  TABLE.  x  00 

KLONDIKE  PICNIC.     By  Eleanor  C.  Donnelly.  o  85 

LAMP  OP  THE  SANCTUARY.     By  Cardinal  Wiseman.  o  35 

LEGENDS  OP  THE  HOLY  CHILD  JESUS  from  Many  Lands.  By  A.  Fowler 

LuTZ.  o  75 

LITTLE  MISSY.     By  Mary  T.  Waggaman.  o  45 

LOYAL  BLUE  AND  ROYAL  SCARLET.     By  Marion  A.  Taogart.  o  85 

MADCAP  SET  AT  ST.  ANNE'S.     By  Marion  J.  Brunowb.  o  45 

MARCELLE.     A  True   Story.  o  45 

MARY  TRACY'S  FORTUNE.     Sadlier.  o  45 

MASTER  FRIDOLIN,     By  Emmy  Giehrl.  o  25 

MILLY  AVELING.     By  Sara  Trainer  Smith.    Cloth,  o  8s 

MOSTLY  BOYS.     By  Father  Finn.  o  85 

MYSTERIOUS  DOORWAY.     By  Anna  T.  Sadlier.  o  45 

MY  STRANGE  FRIEND.     By  Father  Finn.  o  as 

NAN  NOBODY.     By  Mary  T.  Waggaman.  040 

OLD  CHARLMONT'S  SEED-BED.     By  Sara  Trainer  Smith.  o  45 

OLD  ROBBER'S  CASTLE.     By  Canon  Schmid.  o  as 

OLIVE  AND  THE  LITTLE  CAKES.  o  45 

OUR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS'  LIBRARY.     14  vols.,  each  o  as 

OUR  YOUNG  FOLKS'  LIBRARY.     10  vols.,  each  o  4s 

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PAULINE  ARCHER.     By  Anna  T.  Sadlier.  o  40 

PERCY  WYNN;    or,  Making  a  Boy  of  Him.     By  Father  Finn.  '                 085 

PICKLE  AND  PEPPER.     By  Ella  Loraine  Dorsey.  o  8s 

PRIEST  OF  AUVRIGNY.  o  4s 

QUEEN'S  PAGE.     By  Katharine  Tynan  Hinkson.  o  45 

RECRUIT  TOMMY  COLLINS.     Bonesteel.  o  45 

RICHARD;    or.  Devotion  to  the  Stuarts.  o  45 

ROSE  BUSH.     By  Canon  Schmid.  o  as 

SEA-GULLS'  ROCK.     By  J.  Sandeau.  o  40 

SUMMER  AT  WOODVILLE.  By  Anna  T.  Sadlier.  o  45 
TALES  AND  LEGENDS  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES.     F.  De  Capella.         o  75 

TALES  AND  LEGENDS  SERIES.     3  vols.,  each.  o  75 

TAMING  OF  POLLY.  By  Ella  Ix)raine  Dorsey.  o  85 
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EVE  OF  THE  REFORMATION,  THE.     A"  Historical  Essay  on  the  Religious, 
Literary,  and   Social  Condition  of  Christendom,  with  Special  Reference  to 
Germany  and  England,  from  the  Beginning  of  the  Latter  Half  of  the  Fifteenth 
Century  to  the  Outbreak  of  the  Religious  Revolt.     By  the  Rev.  Wm.  Stang. 
Paper,                                                                                                           net,  o  25 
GAMES  OF  CATHOLIC  AMERICAN  AUTHORS: 
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14 


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STATISTICS  CONCERNING  EDUCATION  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES.  Hedges. 

o  10 
SURSUM  CORDA.     Hymns.     Cloth,  0.25;  per  100,  15  00 

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